The Line
by livezinshadowz
Summary: When a young Ino tries to use the Shintenshin for the first time on Naruto, something goes wrong and the two find themselves temporarily stuck in the other's body. A series of moments depicting the evolution of their relationship, from acquaintances to friends to something more, all by crossing that metaphorical line created when a boy and a girl forge a bond. Naruto/Ino
1. Forming the Line

**Disclaimer: **I don't own _Naruto._

"Fear makes strangers of people who would be friends."

_- Shirley MacLaine_

Yamanaka Ino stares across the playground, searching for a target. The date is October 7th, a mere two weeks after her tenth birthday, and she has finally managed to convince her (somewhat overbearing) father to let her go to the park unattended. Under the pretense of wanting to play with her peers in an environment where her dad isn't watching her every move, all Ino really wants is to practice the technique she has been learning.

Her father, Yamanaka Inoichi, has been teaching her the most basic of the Yamanaka clan's techniques: _**Shintenshin no Jutsu**_, the Mind Body Switch Technique. He has lectured Ino that it is the most fundamental skill their family possesses, the backbone to understanding and learning all of the other Yamanaka clan techniques. And Ino is determined to master it.

The theory behind the _**Shintenshin**_ _seems_ simple enough. By releasing their hold on their own consciousness, the Yamanakas are capable of overshadowing another person's mind. Inoichi has made sure that Ino knows the risks associated with using the Mind Body Switch unsupported in battle before instructing her in its use. Even then, he has made her promise to not use the technique unsupervised yet.

But Ino has something to prove. If she is able to establish herself as a worthwhile kunoichi-to-be by showing her mastery of her clan's technique, she will be a step ahead of the other girls in her year in the race for Uchiha Sasuke's affections. She already has the looks: shoulder-length, platinum blonde hair; pupil-less baby blue eyes; and clothes that reflect her extensive knowledge of current fashion trends.

She takes sudden notice of a boy walking somewhat dejectedly towards the swing set. The spiky blonde hair and orange shirt let Ino know that the figure is none other than Uzumaki Naruto, the Academy's class clown and general outcast of Konoha. _Bingo_, she thinks.

Naruto is a bit of an enigma. To his peers, he is a third-rate ninja notorious for pulling pranks and not paying attention in class. Ino is honestly a bit surprised that he hasn't yet dropped out of the Academy, but his determination to succeed is strong. She can appreciate his tenacity and fight-hard spirit, even if there's little progress to show for his efforts. To the adults, he is a subject spoken of in harsh whispers and pointed glares, often while he sits alone on a swing outside the Academy.

His pariah status piques Ino's curiosity. Two of the specialties associated with mental manipulations are espionage and interrogation. What she could learn about Naruto – why he trains to be a ninja despite his poor academic standing, why he is an orphan, why everyone seems to avoid him like a plague – firms her decision.

She sneaks quietly through the playground, hiding behind a tree not far from the melancholy blonde. From her position, she sees his blue eyes partially lidded with sorrow, and her heart briefly goes out to him. Steeling her resolve, she stretches out her arms, holding her hands out in a rough circle so that the thumbs on each hand touch at the bottom, as do the index and middle fingers at the top. "_**Shintenshin no Jutsu**_," she whispers, right before her body slumps to the ground.

Ino comes to a moment later, opening crystal blue eyes to spy tanned hands clutching the chains of a swing. She admires them momentarily, marveling at how much stronger (if dirtier) they are than her own, delicate appendages. The blonde takes notice of the tacky, worn clothes she wears, and she sweeps a hand through the messy blonde spikes Naruto possesses. _I did it!_ "Yes!" she cheers. She ignores the mixture of stares and glares shot in her direction, too excited in her success to pay them any heed.

A loud groan catches her attention, and her head swivels towards where she guesses the source of the sound has originated. Behind a large tree, a foot twitches, an arm stretches, and a body appears to clamber clumsily to its feet. There is a sudden growing knot of dread within Ino's stomach as she watches the scene play out, frozen in the swing.

She stares as her own body steps out from the shadow of the tree, and meets the wide-eyed gaze of her own baby blue orbs. Her body's mouth opens and releases a high-pitched scream. Ino's stomach plummets at the shrill sound. _Uh-oh._

-l-l-l-

Naruto isn't entirely sure what has happened. He went to the playground because it was a particularly rough day (the week leading up to the festival celebrating the Yondaime Hokage's vanquishing of the Kyūbi – coincidentally, the same day as his birthday – often sees an increase in the hatred the villagers show him), and he needed to escape from everyone. He remembers rocking rhythmically back and forth on the swing, allowing the repetition of the motion to ease his loneliness, right before blacking out and awakening slumped against a tree.

The blonde pariah raises his arms in a stretch and almost instantly notices how different they look compared to what he remembers. The skin is smooth and delicate, the color tone much whiter than he recalls. He doesn't recognize the clothes either: peach-colored shirt with the image of a flower in the middle and purple trim, and green Capri pants. Naruto climbs wobbly to his feet, moving out from behind the shelter of the tree with the intent to find some answers.

He looks up, his vision latching onto the body dressed in a dark blue t-shirt under a sleeveless orange hoodie, pale green shorts, with a black sweatband on each wrist – the same outfit he dressed himself in earlier. Blonde hair, crystal blue eyes, whisker marks…he finds himself staring at his own body. Confused and mildly scared, Naruto does the only thing he can think of.

Even the voice is different, he notices absently through the sound of his own screaming.

-l-l-l-

Ino decides that perhaps mental espionage will have to wait for another time. She focuses on releasing the technique by closing her eyes and trying to cut off her consciousness from Naruto's body as she has been taught. The blonde opens her eyes, expecting to see Naruto, but instead sees only her own body standing in the same spot, mouth open in silent shock, though no longer screaming. She frowns, closes her eyes, and attempts to cancel the _**Shintenshin**_ again.

Blue eyes reopen. No change.

_Not good._ The Mind Body Switch Technique is merely supposed to _override_ another person's awareness, not actually _switch _them, as she suspects has happened. She isn't entirely sure where she has gone wrong in the application of the technique, but it appears as if Naruto's mind has been placed within the vacancy her body provided upon taking over _his_ body.

Mentally, Ino berates herself for her zeal. The traditional method of ending the jutsu is not working, and the blonde knows too little of the Yamanaka clan techniques – or their mishaps – to go about fixing her blunder. She isn't sure of the repercussions of being away from one's body for extended periods of time, nor how long the _**Shintenshin**_ will last after screwing it up, so she sighs. Now she has to talk to Naruto, to explain everything…

…Except her fellow blonde is nowhere to be found.

Ino curses. Little good can come from having Uzumaki Naruto walking around Konoha in her body. She briefly considers going to her father and explaining the circumstances, but then rejects the idea. Inoichi will undoubtedly _severely_ reprimand her for going against his instruction in the first place, and follow that up with some form of punishment Ino would rather not suffer through. Not to mention she will lose all trust her father has in her and thus be subject to his constant surveillance, something she is working on breaking away from.

She will just have to survive until the Mind Body Switch wears off. With any luck, it'll only be a number of hours, tops.

The idea that Naruto doesn't have the slightest idea of how to act like her to avoid rousing suspicion barely even crosses her mind.

-l-l-l-

Unbeknownst to Ino, Naruto is quickly guided into his new persona. After leaving the playground – and his body – behind, he wanders through town in a state of half-panic, half-wonder. On the one hand, he is clearly in someone else's body (a girl's, if the clothes and voice are any indication); on the other hand, the villagers don't jeer at him.

Lost in this strange dilemma, Naruto hardly notices when a head pokes out from a nearby store and asks, "Ino?" He freezes as the rest of the person becomes visible, the man stepping out from the shop and placing a hand on Naruto's shoulder. "Are you okay, sweetie?"

Naruto mentally snaps out of his petrified state. The name Ino chimes familiar bells in his head of a girl in his class constantly arguing with Haruno Sakura over Uchiha Sasuke. Looking up at the man, he is even able to place him as a parent from the Academy: blue eyes, sandy blonde hair held in a long ponytail in the back, and stern features that lighten around his daughter. "Uh, yeah, fine," he blurts. Internally, he winces at how awkward he sounds.

Inoichi doesn't seem to notice (perhaps he's just very attached to his daughter), and instead smiles at the assurance, steering Naruto into the shop he has appeared from. "Why don't you help me hold down the fort here?" he suggests. Naruto nods, not entirely willing to trust his voice again. He glances around the store, his jaw almost dropping in amazement at the sheer quantity of flowers present in such a small area.

Naruto decides to remain uncharacteristically silent during his time in Yamanaka Flowers, scared of saying something inconsistent with Ino's personality; having only had peripheral interaction with the platinum blonde, he is unsure of how to act to not arouse suspicion. Barring this handicap though, Naruto thoroughly enjoys his experience in his classmate's body. The hatred the villagers always show him is nonexistent, and in fact, most of the people who come into the shop smile pleasantly at him and make some comment about how helpful he is. It's a rather surreal experience, one which he is completely unused to, but yearns to experience on a daily basis in his own body.

When the sun dips into the horizon, Naruto helps Ino's father close up the shop. He walks beside the older ninja, keeping pace but also making sure not to take the lead as he has no idea where they are going. It takes only 15 minutes of walking to arrive at what Naruto assumes to be the Yamanaka clan compound.

The Yamanaka complex is somewhat small, at least in comparison to the Hyūga or Aburame complexes. But to Naruto, who has lived in a tiny apartment for the majority of his life, the area is _huge_. Twenty to thirty multi-story houses sit in a roughly square area whose entranceway is marked by an arch with the Yamanaka clan symbol at the top. Naruto tries not to let the sight of the buildings overwhelm his common sense that Ino has seen this place before, only allowing himself discreet glances at the houses as they pass.

Ino's home is situated in what Naruto estimates to be the center of the compound, a simple two-story abode with flower trellises along the windows and a small garden fringing the front porch. Inoichi slips off his shoes upon entering the household and calls out, "Ino and I are home!" as Naruto removes his own shoes.

"Oh good, I just finished making dinner," speaks a new voice. A woman Naruto assumes to be Ino's mother appears, receiving a peck on the cheek from her husband. She is a stout woman, standing just about five and a half feet tall, with pale blonde hair a shade darker than Ino's and caring hazel eyes. There's a geniality about her that makes Naruto instantly comfortable despite his predicament and the strangeness of the day. She hugs Naruto, and his stomach lurches strangely at the contact.

Ino's parents go through an opening which Naruto assumes leads to the kitchen while he follows slowly behind, lost in thought. Whatever has happened to him, there is something to be said for how he's currently being treated. Naturally, he knows that it's really Ino receiving the attention (to her parents' knowledge, anyway), but Naruto finds he can't argue with the rarely given affection he has just been bestowed or – from the odors wafting around the kitchen – the call of a full, home-cooked meal.

Ramen is still the food of the gods, but there is something nice about having a variety of vittles set out before him to choose from.

Naruto waits until the two adults have taken their own food and started eating before grabbing a healthy amount of edibles for himself. He notices the curious looks of both blondes with something – he isn't even sure _what_, he just wants to _eat_ – halfway to his mouth; lowering it, he asks, "Um, is something wrong?"

Ino's parents exchange glances. "Well," begins her mother, "we just thought that you were still on a diet. That's the most food you've taken to eat in the past several months."

Naruto blinks. "Oh. Well, uh, I'm really hungry and I decided to stop, uh, dieting." The word feels weird on his lips; despite feeling hunger rather frequently and having to ration how much he eats at times, Naruto can't imagine trying to starve himself by partaking in something as stupid as a _diet_. And it seems like a crime to waste such perfectly good food.

After a moment in which the adults seem to engage in a silent conversation, Inoichi nods and says, "Well, that's good to hear. I never particularly cared for the dieting idea in the first place. Oh, Keiko," he adds, turning to his wife, "I have to leave for a mission tomorrow morning. It might take me a week or so to complete." The other Yamanaka merely nods, and both adults return to their meals.

Naruto heaves another mental sigh of relief. _I can't believe that worked. _Hopefully, with Inoichi gone on a week-long mission, traipsing around as a different person will be easier, lessening the likelihood of getting caught being not-Ino. _At least until this…whatever it is…wears off._

As he shovels more food into his mouth as civilly as he can, a stray thought goes through the blonde's mind. _I wonder what Ino's doing in my body…_

-l-l-l-

Yamanaka Ino, for what feels like the umpteenth time that day, curses her rashness in using the _**Shintenshin**_. Or, at the very least, using it on Uzumaki Naruto.

Being trapped within the blonde's body has so far been a rather terrible, if eye-opening, experience. Ino has already been shooed away from a total of four different food vendors and restaurants – all accompanied by varying levels of uttered profanities and threats – before extrapolating that the stigma of being Naruto will not allow her entrance into most establishments within Konoha.

It's an unusual premise, not only due to the fact that Ino has never been barred from a place before, but because she isn't entirely sure what the spiky-haired boy has done to deserve such treatment. Sure, his reputation as a notorious prankster precedes him, and though much of what he does could be considered juvenile and unnecessary, Ino doesn't believe that the negative attention he receives is fairly warranted as retribution for _practical jokes._

Her stomach rumbles, and Ino is forcibly reminded of just why she has been going to food establishments in the first place. Hunger struck her suddenly some time ago, leading her to wandering the streets in the hopes of finding a place to get a meal. Unfortunately, Naruto's reputation makes it so that such an undertaking seems virtually impossible.

"Oh, Naruto!"

Ino looks up at the greeting to find that the speaker is an older man wearing a tall chef's hat, smiling at her from behind the countertop of Ichiraku Ramen. She makes her way over to the stand, the aroma of ramen – a food she usually won't touch because of the calories – simply overpowering to her starving body. Not to mention that the old man is the first person to _welcome _the sight of Naruto rather than repel him. The chef looks down at her as she takes a seat on one of the stools. "What can I get you today?"

"Um…a bowl of miso ramen, please."

"Just one?" jokes the older man, turning around to prepare the noodles. Ino doesn't respond.

A number of minutes pass before her meal is ready, and Ino tries to use some semblance of manners to not just inhale the ramen. The owner raises an eyebrow at what he finds to be unusual behavior for Naruto, but when Ino finishes the first bowl and asks for a pork ramen next, he merely smiles and sets to work on the bowl. Normally, the girl won't even consider a second helping, but as she is currently inhabiting Naruto's body, there really isn't any harm in eating her fill, especially since she's still hungry.

She pauses with a bite of noodles halfway to her lips. _Oh no…_ Naruto clearly has no compunctions about eating until he's full. What sort of damage could he do to her body? _If I've gained a single pound when I get back to my body, I'll kill him!_

Ino departs Ichiraku Ramen four bowls later, hunger sated. She wanders into the dim light of the fading sunset as the proprietor bids her a good night and tells her to come back again soon. The disturbing realization that she's _still_ trapped within Naruto's body hours after the botched _**Shintenshin**_ doesn't fully strike her until she's partway to the Yamanaka clan district. Despite the worrisome situation, Ino's stubbornness prevents her from continuing the trek and asking for her family's help, the consequence of disobeying her father returning to the front of her mind.

Determined to wait out the transition – and hoping that going to sleep will perhaps switch back each person's consciousness – Ino begins to walk in the complete opposition direction before realizing she has no idea where Naruto actually lives. Digging through his most recent memories, she discovers the building and recognizes it as one located in the cheaper part of the village.

She arrives at her destination a short time later, partially distracted by scrolling through Naruto's short-term memories. His life is surprisingly lonely, and Ino again finds herself feeling sympathetic for him despite how obnoxious he always seems in class. Though it doesn't really excuse what the younger boy does, the blonde suddenly understands the motivation behind his actions.

When she enters Naruto's apartment, Ino recoils in slight disgust at the state of the abode. Paint is peeling off the walls, the furniture is in dire need of reupholstering, and clothes and ninja tools are strewn about the common room. Chanting a mantra that her current situation can only last so much longer, she heads into the bedroom, exhausted by the day's events.

It's only as she is preparing to change for sleep – and far away in her room, Naruto gets ready to do the same – when she realizes exactly what being in Naruto's body implies for changing clothes and bathing.

The night is long and awkward for both children.

-l-l-l-

The next morning, Naruto arrives at the Academy in a rather subdued mood. Ino's father has already departed for his mission, and Naruto had to feign sleep (his rest was fitful at best) when the older man came to check on him in an effort to avoid any unwanted scrutiny. With him gone, Naruto believes it'll be easier to pass as his female classmate, despite how strange it is to live the life of his fellow blonde.

Girls, he has discovered while getting changed, have a seemingly unnecessary amount of clothes. Or perhaps it is a quality only Ino possesses. He's not sure if he can function properly in Ino's body, but he knows he has to try. Otherwise, he'll be forced to face the potential consequences associated with being discovered as an imposter.

When he enters the classroom, his eyes immediately dart to Sasuke and his face settles into a scowl. If Sasuke notices the expression, he doesn't say anything, but Sakura stomps up to him and crosses her arms over her chest. "Don't glare at Sasuke-kun like that, Ino-pig," she reprimands. "You look like Naruto-baka." Then she smirks. "Have you finally decided to give up on Sasuke-kun and let me have him?"

Naruto snorts. "Like I'd ever like that bas— mmph!"

"She doesn't know what she's saying," says a voice Naruto recognizes as his own. "I need to speak to Ino a moment, Fore— er, Sakura." Naruto finds himself dragged forcibly from the room and out into the hallway, leaving the remainder of the class to gossip about when Uzumaki Naruto became so chummy with Yamanaka Ino.

Naruto is shoved up against the wall, and Ino finally removes her hand from his mouth to stick a finger threateningly at his nose. The absurdity of watching his body loom over him momentarily distracts him from Ino's ire. "What do you think you're doing?" she hisses.

"I was giving Sasuke-teme what he deserves. Thinks he's so cool," he mutters.

"No!" she practically screeches, and he notices that his voice is grating on his nerves. _Is that what I always sound like? _he wonders. Naruto watches as Ino takes a deep, calming breath in his body and opens crystal blue eyes. "Look, we need to pretend to be each other until the _**Shintenshin**_ wears off –"

"The what?"

Ino returns Naruto's blank stare before burying her forehead in her palm with a loud _smack_. Naruto's perturbation at watching his own body go through all these strange motions while not under his control only increases, and he misses Ino mutter something unflattering about him. "This," she says, motioning with one hand between the two of them, "was caused by an accident with my Mind Body Switch Technique. It should wear off soon…I hope," she adds under her breath.

Naruto considers that explanation for a moment before asking, "Wait, why'd you use it on me?"

"That's not important," she dismisses, unwilling to divulge the details. "Just know that we need to act like the other person until this corrects itself. Which means that you have to be nice to Sasuke-kun!"

Naruto growls, but the fierce look in Ino's eyes (_my eyes,_ he reminds himself) forces him to rethink going against his classmate's wishes. "Fine…but then you have to be nice to Sakura-chan!"

Ino is silent for a moment before nodding her head in agreement. "I can do that. But you better not screw up my chances with Sasuke-kun!" Then she leans in so close their noses are almost touching. "And if I've gained a single pound when I return to my body, I will hunt you down and kill you."

Nara Shikamaru ambles by at that moment, hands in his pockets. He watches Ino nod in terrified understanding, and his dark eyes narrow as Naruto stomps into the classroom in a distinctly angry-Ino-like fashion, merely waving back confusedly when Ino waves a hesitant greeting to him. _Weird_, he thinks, but just shrugs and follows Ino into class. It's not his business what's going on.

-l-l-l-

October 10th seems to take forever to arrive, and despite the mishaps of the previous several days, Naruto – for the first time ever – looks forward to the festival. The students have the day off from school, which the blonde finds himself immensely thankful for. Pretending to be interested in Sasuke (fawning over him was absolutely out of the question) and keeping Sakura at arm's length has been a rather trying experience.

That didn't even take into account all the glares Ino subtly shot him whenever he was unable to answer a question correctly.

Barring his time spent at the Academy, however, Naruto found that he could get used to being in Ino's body (as terrifying a thought as being a girl for who-knew how long was). Most of his free time has been spent with Ino's mom at Yamanaka Flowers, taking care of the plants and smiling politely at the customers who came in. It was a bit more difficult to remain genial when someone who was particularly mean to him in the past came by, but Naruto weathered the storm with aplomb. After his time at the shop, mother and "daughter" went home and had a nice meal (followed immediately by Naruto weighing himself to make sure Ino won't kill him…girls were scary when they were mad).

Looking through Ino's closet for a nice kimono to wear, Naruto wonders for not the first time what happened to his parents. Every moment spent in the older Yamanaka's company causes him to think that this is what his life should have been like. The fact that this will be his best birthday to date, and he is celebrating it in another person's body, disheartens the blonde slightly. _What I won't give for a mom…_

He removes Ino's robe from his body and quickly slips into a lavender kimono with white flowers on it, ignoring the fact that the girl's body is all but on display for him. It is easy enough to not focus on this fact after having bathed several times already; simply ignoring the knowledge that he is a naked girl is the preferable option to avoid any additional awkwardness this situation has already caused.

Naruto leaves the Yamanaka compound and wanders towards the festivities celebrating his hero's success over the demonic Nine-Tailed Fox. It's his first time going, as the villagers tended to chase him away in previous years, and he is excited to see what sort of activities there are to partake in.

Colored lights make the atmosphere of the festival upbeat, matching the hocking of game managers and salesmen alike. Naruto purchases some _daifuku_ – mochi stuffed with bean paste – and wanders amongst all the different stalls, chewing slowly on his treat. He stops at the back of a crowd gathered around a small stage, where two ninja are reenacting an embellished battle between the Yondaime Hokage and the Kyūbi. A tug on his elbow diverts his attention, and he swings around to find Ino standing behind him.

His body is dressed in a blue yukata with an orange _obi_ tied around the waist, though Naruto is honestly more surprised to see Ino at the festival than he is at the sight of the formalwear he has never gotten to wear before. "How'd you get in here?" he asks, dragging Ino away from the crowd.

She smirks in response. "Snuck in."

Naruto deflates a little, mildly put out that Ino has adjusted so easily to his body…or more precisely, his life. He brings a _daifuku_ to his lips, then realizes whose company and body he's in and winces. "Er…want one?" he offers. "Sorry…I've just never –"

"No," interrupts Ino. "I mean," she continues quietly, "it's alright. You should enjoy yourself…on your birthday."

Naruto starts at that and almost drops his treat. Aside from Iruka, the Hokage, and the Ichirakus, Ino's admission is the first acknowledgment by anyone else _ever_ that today is his birthday. "How'd you know?"

"I looked through your memories," she admits in the same quiet voice, sounding almost ashamed.

"Oh…"

In hindsight, Ino feels quite bad for invading Naruto's privacy, despite that being her original intention when activating the _**Shintenshin**_. In sifting through her fellow blonde's past, Ino has come to the rather sad conclusion that Naruto's life hasn't been anything even resembling happy. Beatings at the hands of bullies in the orphanage (and sometimes adults on the streets), social isolation within the village he loves, too many days and nights of hunger to count…

And at the end of the day, there is no one at home for Naruto to be comforted by. Not seeing her parents for the past several days has been difficult enough; Ino can't even imagine what lacking a parent's affection must feel like on a permanent basis.

Naruto's life is sad and lonely, and Ino is startled to realize that she wants to prevent him from having to live that way anymore.

A hand clasping hers draws Ino from her musing. "Come on," urges Naruto.

"W-wait! Where are we going?"

Ino watches her body's mouth break into a brilliant smile, one which she has only seen once or twice in Naruto's memories. It's an expression that she wishes she can see over and over again on the face it truly belongs, whisker-like markings stretched wide and crystal blue eyes shining with happiness. "To celebrate!" he exclaims profoundly, dragging her off to play some games.

Throughout the rest of the night, whispers follow the pair of children around, murmurings of how the demon child has corrupted the sweet Yamanaka girl, and why is he even at the festival at all, he should be removed. Both 10-year-olds ignore them, and it isn't until much later, as they are getting ready for bed, that they realize they have just had the best night of their lives.

-l-l-l-

Ino wakes up the next morning in her own bed in the Yamanaka clan complex. She feels her hair, arms, and legs before getting up and rushing to the mirror to ascertain that her mind isn't playing tricks on her. Concluding that the technique has broken – how, she doesn't know, but neither does she particularly care – she rushes down the stairs and skids into the kitchen, where her father is sitting at the table, writing something. He glances up at her entrance and smiles. "Hi sweetie. I finished my mission a little early, so I came back. Sorry I missed the festival…I know we usually go together."

"Oh, that's okay, Daddy," she replies, chalking up the mission as something her father embarked on while Naruto was in her body. She's also incredibly thankful that Inoichi wasn't home to watch her every move; there's no telling how Naruto would've bungled –

_Naruto…_ Her thoughts turn to her fellow blonde and how he must be feeling, all alone in his ramshackle apartment, nothing to eat but ramen (not that he will complain about _that_)… "Ah, Daddy?"

"Hm?"

"Is…is it okay if a friend comes over for dinner tonight?"

-l-l-l-

**Author's Note:** Hello readers, just a little story I've been meaning to get out of my system for a bit. I don't consider myself a very adept romantic writer, so this is an experiment for me on a number of levels, including genre and writing style.

The story will be presented as a series of moments/snapshots from Naruto's and Ino's lives following this deviation. Thus, there might be small changes to canon in the coming chapters. In addition, in case people ask, I have no intention of offering an explanation as to why the _**Shintenshin**_ failed, nor how it broke. You can just assume that shit happens.

Feel free to let me know what you think.


	2. Thickening the Line

**Author's Note:** Wow, I'm majorly surprised at how well this was received. Thanks, everyone!

IMPORTANT: Something that I probably should've pointed out in the first chapter, and was brought forth in the reviews, is the pace of this story. There will be 4 chapters in total, and unlike the first chapter, the others will deal with points in time detailing Naruto's and Ino's relationship. You'll see what I mean with this chapter.

The screwed-up _**Shintenshin**_ was just a catalyst for the story, which is why it's resolved quickly; it's not a focus. The story is meant to show how their relationship changes because of this event. My intention is to have the moments speak for how they've grown together, meaning the time skips and somewhat choppy writing style is intentional.

This is probably my least favorite chapter (especially considering how many times I went back and edited the stupid thing), but it's a necessary evil. If you're still here, please enjoy it (I hope). Or wait until next week.

-l-l-l-

"Be slow to fall into friendship; but when thou art in, continue firm and constant."

_- Socrates_

Yamanaka Inoichi is mildly confused to see a small _male_ child with bright yellow hair standing next to his daughter on the doorstep of their house. The boy's eyes are averted, almost as if he's afraid of Inoichi (which, considering the gall it takes to come home alongside his daughter, is probably a correct attitude to take). Inoichi recognizes him as Uzumaki Naruto, container of the Kyūbi, and most _definitely_ not Haruno Sakura, the girl he has expected to accompany Ino home upon her asking for a dinner guest earlier.

In all honesty, Inoichi isn't quite sure what to think about this strange development. He has no issue with the boy – his faith in the Yondaime's sealing capabilities is strong – but the way Naruto has portrayed himself to the village makes the older male a bit apprehensive to allow him entrance into his house. Still, Ino has requested to have the younger boy over for a meal, and Inoichi finds it difficult to resist granting his daughter such a simple entreaty. He steps aside and allows the children to come through the door, Ino practically pulling Naruto into the Yamanaka home.

As part of Konoha's Intelligence Division, and more importantly, as a Yamanaka, Inoichi is trained at looking for subtle psychological quirks. Eyes darting back and forth, twitches in the skin of the face, twiddling fingers…each motion is a tic that sends out a flare to a trained professional.

Naruto's actions throughout the night are at odds with the personality he displays in the village. Despite managing to keep up conversation with Ino – and answering all of Keiko's questions – Naruto appears quiet and subdued during the meal, and he seems to avoid looking anyone directly in the eyes. Inoichi knows that such behavior is usually indicative of someone who is hiding something or unused to human contact, and while the latter makes sense given how the villagers treat him, Naruto is not someone who shies away from the people who disrespect him. The older Yamanaka almost wants to say that the Jinchūriki is trying to make a good impression on his family, except that he can't figure out if there is a deeper reason for doing so other than for its own sake.

Naruto bows politely to Inoichi at the end of the night and thanks him in a quiet voice before departing for his home. The older male silently watches him depart, musing over the boy's actions in his mind. He joins his wife in the kitchen after a moment and begins to assist her in cleaning the dishes. "What did you make of that?" he asks.

Keiko shoots him a curious look. "What do you mean?"

Inoichi blinks and then settles his face into a neutral expression. "Ino just invited a boy over; Uzumaki Naruto, no less." He raises an eyebrow. "You don't have anything to say about that?"

His wife shakes her head as a small grin finds its way upon her lips. "You're so overprotective. They're 10, it doesn't mean anything; Shikamaru and Chōji are here all the time with Shikaku and Chōza and you don't react like this. Besides, he was really quite sweet. A little shy maybe, but I don't think he deserves even half of the treatment he receives. He ate like he'd never had a good, home-cooked meal before." Inoichi doesn't respond right away, and Keiko sighs. "You were analyzing him, weren't you?"

"Well, I –"

"Oh, for heaven's sake, Inoichi! He's not a prisoner, he's just a young boy! He looked so sad…he must be terribly lonely. We should have him around more often."

"I don't –"

"Yamanaka Inoichi," Keiko says sternly, "Naruto is a child who got dealt a bad hand in life, and more importantly, it looks like he's Ino's friend. When he is in this house, you will treat him as such…am I clear?"

"Yes dear."

-l-l-l-

"You didn't have to do that."

Ino frowns. It's the next morning, and Ino has intercepted Naruto on his way to the Academy. "Didn't you have a good time?"

"Well, yeah, but…I mean…people don't like me," he finally manages. "And…I don't really have any friends… I just…don't understand why you did it. Shouldn't you want nothing to do with me now?"

Ino isn't quite sure how to answer him. Somehow, _'I feel bad for you'_ doesn't seem like the appropriate response even if it's true. "When I was in your body," she replies slowly, working through her words, "I understood a little about why you do what you do. And…I don't think that anyone should have to live that kind of life."

"…It was nice," Naruto whispers after a moment, "having a family, I mean. Your parents are really nice…though your dad was a little scary last night."

The platinum blonde giggles lightly. "Yeah, Daddy can be a bit overbearing when it comes to my decisions about my friends."

Naruto halts suddenly, and it takes Ino a couple of steps to become aware that her fellow blonde is not beside her. She turns around to find the boy standing motionless, his bright blue eyes wide with shock. "I'm…your friend?"

Ino reviews her words in her head and realizes that she has, in fact, stated as such. "Sure, why wouldn't we be?" Somehow, the admission doesn't feel as weird on her tongue as she would have imagined several days ago. Perhaps it's because of the botched Mind Body Switch Technique and the images from Naruto's memories that she can't get out of her head, but Ino feels like she needs to right the injustices that Naruto has lived with his entire life. Befriending him seems like a good start.

"Thank you," he murmurs.

She offers him a smile as they continue their walk to the Academy. The building is within sight when a thought occurs to the Yamanaka, and she decides to screw with Naruto a little. "You know, you had quite a bit to eat last night."

"Mm hm," he agrees absently, too happy at the new friendship to keep track of where the conversation is heading. "Your mom's an amazing cook. Think she'd make me ramen if I asked?"

"Maybe." A strange glint shines in Ino's baby blue eyes. "Did you eat like that when you were in my body?"

"Yeah, I –" Naruto gulps as he realizes what he has just admitted. "Er…I mean…no, of course not!" Ino fixes him with a gimlet look, and the spiky-haired blonde hangs his head, knowing he's been found out. "Okay, yeah, I did, but I was really hungry! And I tried to make sure that you didn't gain any weight! ...Are you mad?"

She releases the mock-glare and sighs theatrically. "No, I suppose I can let this slide."

Naruto heaves a breath of relief, immensely glad he hasn't already screwed up this bond. "Okay, good. You know, I don't think you need to worry about dieting, anyway. Ninja work out a lot, so it's not like you'll gain weight."

"I think it's too early in our friendship for you to be giving me advice about my life. Besides," she proclaims, "I need to look my best for Sasuke-kun!"

"I don't see why you like that stuck-up bastard."

"I don't expect you to understand." She pauses, then continues in a sickly sweet voice, "Maybe you'd see it if you were a little nicer to him."

Naruto shoots her a foxy grin. "I think it's too early in our friendship for you to be giving me advice about my life," he parrots. She pouts slightly before both of them break into laughter.

It is the beginning of the strangest and strongest relationship either of them will ever partake in.

-l-l-l-

Inoichi stands at attention before the Third Hokage's desk, waiting for the old man to indicate that he is allowed to speak. Sarutobi Hiruzen lights his pipe and takes a few puffs. "What can I do for you, Inoichi?"

"Well Hokage-sama, I've come here today to discuss Uzumaki Naruto."

Hiruzen sighs. "And what has Naruto-kun done now?"

A small furrow forms between Inoichi's brows. "Nothing. I would actually like to request that my wife and I be allowed to adopt him."

The Hokage's eyebrows both rise. "Really? How…unexpected. Would you enlighten me as to what brought you to this decision?"

"As you may or may not be aware, Naruto has been coming around my home for several weeks now as a friend of my daughter's." Hiruzen nods, indicating that he knows this fact and that Inoichi can continue. "Well, in that time, my wife has also become quite taken with him, and I must admit that he has had a good influence on Ino. In certain aspects, anyway," he corrects himself. "More importantly, I believe that Ino's friendship has had a positive effect on Naruto's mental development, and will continue to do so assuming they have continued interaction. I also think that an environment where he is acknowledged as part of a family might also…temper some of his more notorious actions around the village."

Hiruzen removes his pipe and taps it against his desk several times, a look of deep concentration on his face. Finally, he says, "You present good points, Inoichi. Unfortunately, I can't allow you to undertake such action. As the Kyūbi Jinchūriki, Naruto carries a great deal of power, and relegating him to any one clan could be looked at by the others as favoritism and unfair treatment –"

"With all due respect, Hokage-sama," Inoichi interjects, straightening marginally, "the boy is the one who is unfairly mistreated, and I am not suggesting this course of action from the political perspective of a Clan Head –"

The Hokage holds up a hand to forestall the rest of the Yamanaka's argument. "I was not suggesting that you were. But you must look at it as one of the other clans…or Danzō might." Inoichi scowls at the mention of the man's name but makes no other motion. He is confused when a smile flits across the Third's face. "Uzumaki Naruto must remain just that. That said, if you wish to provide accommodations and a hospitable environment for a friend of your family's…well, I see no reason to disallow this."

_Ah,_ Inoichi realizes, _adopting him without an official adoption. Quite a loophole._ He bows to the aging village leader. "Understood. Thank you for your time, Hokage-sama."

"Anytime, Inoichi."

That night, when the Yamanaka Clan Head springs the news that Naruto will be informally adopted into their household, the blonde boy's eyes well up with tears. Emotional, he jumps to the older male's side and hugs him around the waist, thanking him profusely and making promises to be good. Keiko catches her husband's eye and smiles at him, glad that everything has worked out.

Naruto finally releases him and rushes over to Ino. Watching the two children interact with each other, Inoichi knows he has made a good decision.

-l-l-l-

More than two years pass, during which Naruto moves into the Yamanaka household and becomes integrated into the family. Ino and Naruto develop a pseudo-sibling bond, with the female blonde assuming a sort of guardian role. Naruto doesn't quite think it's completely necessary, but whenever Ino returns the unwarranted glares of the villagers, he gets a bubbly feeling of warmth that someone is willing to watch out and stand up for him.

When Inoichi finally deems her ready, Ino begs Naruto to be her _**Shintenshin**_ test subject, and though memories of the first mishap make him hesitant, he finally agrees to help, feeling he owes it to her. Thankfully, under Inoichi's guidance, there are no mishaps, and Naruto quickly gets used to the sensation of having his consciousness overridden by Ino as she practices the timing of the technique. His skills increase alongside Ino's, his grades rising slightly with someone willing to help him study and understand topics. He understands that he'll never be at the top of the class, but not being at the very bottom is a good feeling; unfortunately, his inability to produce a _**Bunshin**_ persists even with Ino's assistance, something which confounds the female blonde.

Their time at the Academy is initially riddled with the teasing of their classmates as they spend more and more time together. Both children ignore the mocking of their peers (as Naruto has always done, and which Ino learns to do over time), and Naruto even grows closer to Nara Shikamaru and Akimichi Chōji as a result of the connection between their families and Ino's.

Naruto's and Ino's friendship grows stronger and their lives become more entwined as their days at the Academy approach an end. When the day of graduation dawns, Inoichi and Keiko wish both children luck and then send them on their way.

-l-l-l-

Naruto is so distraught when he fails the Graduation Exam that he avoids meeting up with Ino after class to celebrate her success. When Mizuki offers him an alternate means of passing – one which doesn't involve having to perform the Clone Technique – Naruto jumps on the opportunity without thinking of the repercussions.

He's mildly surprised when his day continues uninterrupted by Ino, but shrugs it off as his friend knowing he wants to be left alone. Besides, it's better for him to be in solitude so that he can plan on how to obtain the Scroll of Seals.

It isn't until much later that night – after Iruka finds him learning _**Kage Bunshin no Jutsu**_ and explains the situation – that Naruto realizes he's made a grievous error. The revelation that he is the container of the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox is a huge surprise, though it finally answers the burning question of why the villagers seem to hate him so much.

Though it also raises questions about why exactly the Yamanaka family decided to take care of him all this time.

He arrives back at the Yamanaka complex at a little past six in the morning. Inoichi is already awake (for what reason, Naruto doesn't know) and sipping tea at the kitchen table; he moves the chair across from him out with his leg and simultaneously pushes forward a second cup of the steaming liquid. As Naruto takes a seat and wraps his hands around the cup, Inoichi's cerulean eyes flicker to rest on the boy's forehead protector. "Would you like to talk about it?" prompts the older man after a sip of tea.

There is a long silence during which Naruto is unusually somber, eyes gazing steadfastly at the table. Then he whispers, "Did you know?"

Inoichi arches one sandy blonde eyebrow. "Did I know what?" he asks in that manner Naruto knows the Yamanaka is aware of what the question is, but wants the other person to specify it regardless.

"When you adopted me…did you know that you were really adopting the Kyūbi?" clarifies the blonde, a slight bitterness coloring 'adopted'; Inoichi can't decide if it's because the adoption is unofficial or if it's due to residual emotions from the discovery of the Kyūbi.

The older man frowns, but makes no other discernible expression. "I was aware that you _contained_ the fox, yes."

"Then why did you –"

"Naruto, you must understand," Inoichi interrupts, "that you and the Kyūbi are two separate entities. The Kyūbi was a terrifying force to behold, yes, but I have faith in the Yondaime's sealing abilities. However, many people are unable to forget the fear that gripped them when the fox attacked, and that is why they treat you so poorly. I admit that I had some reservations when Ino brought you home –" here Naruto's face adopts a stricken expression, "— but I also have faith in my daughter's judgment. And," he finishes, leaning forward so Naruto understands how serious he is, "I don't regret bringing you into this family."

Inoichi leans back in his chair. "Of course, in lieu of this…development, I'd have to say that your analytical abilities could use a bit of polishing. Did you really think sneaking into the Hokage's house and stealing the Scroll of Seals was a good idea?"

Naruto mumbles something incomprehensible, but the older male is already aware of some of the details behind the thieving attempt, courtesy of the Hokage. "I know it wasn't your idea," the Yamanaka continues gently, "but maybe next time you should think about the repercussions of following such strange orders." Inoichi stands up and moves around to place a hand on Naruto's shoulder. "That said, I'm very proud of your promotion to Genin." Naruto swings his gaze up to stare at his father-figure with wide eyes; Inoichi graces him with a smile. "We'll have to celebrate properly later. I've got some work to take care of, and you should get some rest."

As Inoichi prepares to leave the house to interrogate Mizuki, Naruto asks, "Does Ino-chan know?"

"No. No one in your generation is aware of what you possess, and it's entirely up to you whether you wish to tell her." Then he's gone.

Naruto sits at the table for a while longer, mulling over his thoughts. It's been a long night and he's not sure if he's thinking clearly enough to make such a big decision about the Kyūbi at this point in time. He heads up the stairs, determined to get some sleep, but a quiet, "Naruto?" draws his attention at the top of the staircase. "What's going on?"

Ino is standing just outside her bedroom door in her pajamas, rubbing her eyes sleepily. Naruto smiles weakly at how innocent she looks, and somehow the decision to not inform her of his burden is made for him quite easily. Taking away that innocence with such a mind-shattering revelation just seems wrong. "Nothing, Ino-chan," he reassures her. "I just passed a…different Graduation Exam. Look!" he proclaims, thumbing at his forehead protector.

The Yamanaka girl blinks and nods. "Oh. Okay then. Well, I'm going back to sleep. Night."

"Night," he echoes, even though it's dawn. Then he goes to his room and crawls into bed, determined to get a couple hours of rest.

When Ino hears the full story (minus some details regarding the fox) of how Naruto has graduated later that morning, she immediately berates him for his rashness and stupidity while he just sits and takes the verbal onslaught. Yes, he thinks, it's far better to keep their friendship the way it is without introducing such a messy concept as him being the container of the Kyūbi.

_ Things are fine just the way they are._

-l-l-l-

After passing on the answers to the first test of the Chūnin Exams to Shikamaru and Chōji via the _**Shintenshin**_, Ino sits in her spot and taps her pencil against the table unsurely. The platinum blonde is engaged in a fierce mental debate about whether or not she should help her fellow blonde.

The test rules don't specifically prohibit cheating, but the penalty for getting caught is nothing to sneeze at, especially since the participants are unaware of how many times the proctors have caught them. Her first priority is to her team and making sure that they pass; infiltration, after all, is one of her clan's specialties.

But now that they're all set up with the test answers (barring the tenth question), her concern for her friend has time to take root in her mind.

Naruto is a notoriously bad test-taker, and considering the difficulty of the questions, there is little doubt in Ino's mind that her fellow blonde is completely lost. In addition, his collection of skills (limited though they are) don't lend to the field of espionage, leaving him woefully inadequate at cheating. The combination of those factors means that Naruto is more than likely going to fail the test. Plus, Naruto's failure will lead to Sasuke's failure, and that's just unacceptable, even as a small voice says that using Sasuke as an excuse to help Naruto is just a cop-out.

Not to mention that Naruto's last failed test resulted in his theft of the Scroll of Seals.

It truly was a shame that they didn't end up on the same team; Ino's conundrum wouldn't even exist if that was the case. Unfortunately, both blondes went into the classroom on the day of team assignments knowing that Ino was practically guaranteed to be assigned with Shikamaru and Chōji. Then again, she thinks, after hearing the story of Team 7's A-ranked mission to the Land of Waves, Asuma didn't seem like so bad a teacher, despite his laid-back personality. Especially with how much Naruto complains about Kakashi's teaching skills.

_Naruto can handle himself,_ Ino convinces herself. _He doesn't need me looking over his shoulder all the time._

_...Aw hell, who am I kidding? I know I'm gonna help him._

Ino moves her hands into the appropriate seal and fires her consciousness into her friend's body. She rolls crystal blue eyes when she spies that Naruto's paper is unsurprisingly blank. _Called it. He is _so_ predictable. _Naruto's pencil scribbles across the paper as Ino recalls the answers she has stolen from Sakura. At the end of the page, Ino jots a short note so that Naruto won't freak out at his suddenly filled-in paper and then circles it so it stands out. Then she releases the technique.

From her spot several rows back, Ino watches Naruto's body jerk as his consciousness returns to him. Thankfully, due to years of practicing the Mind Body Switch on him, the spiky-haired blonde seems to recognize what has happened to him, and after reading the note, gives an imperceptible nod to show Ino his appreciation.

When the proctor reveals the extra rules of the tenth question, Ino just sits back and relaxes. Additional rules be damned, no matter what the last question is, the platinum blonde is confident in her ability to pass it.

As Genin start to flow out of the classroom, Ino waits until the final question is handed out, wondering what she can convince Naruto to do as repayment for her help on the test.

-l-l-l-

Ino watches as Sakura, her former-friend-turned-rival, stands up to the team of Oto-nin all by herself. Despite being overwhelmingly outclassed, the pink-haired girl is defending the hidey-hole where Uchiha Sasuke and Uzumaki Naruto lie unconscious as if her life depends on it.

All things considered, it probably does.

"Ino, what do you want to do?" Shikamaru asks. Her team is crouched in the bushes nearby, and though she knows that Chōji isn't big on fighting and Shikamaru is reluctant to do any sort of work, both won't hesitate to back her up if she decides to intervene.

But despite the history that she shares with Sakura, Ino is more concerned about Naruto's status. The Sound shinobi seem to have little regard for the lives of anyone in their way, and Naruto is incapacitated and unlikely to wake up anytime soon. Faced with the reality that her rival, friend, and crush might die, Ino's mind flickers back to her time spent with all of them. Strangely enough – or perhaps not, considering her relationship with the three pre-teens – her memories focus most on her time with Naruto, the biggest influence in her life ever since the body-switching incident.

With a jolt, Ino reaches the startling conclusion that Naruto isn't simply a friend, but her _best_ friend, the person with whom she's interacted with most and best for more than two years, and there's no one who can replace him in her life.

It's this thought that prompts her to leap out of the bushes with Shikamaru at her side, Chōji's scarf in his grip.

Later – after Sasuke has awakened surrounded in a strange chakra which he has used to thrash the team from Hidden Sound – Ino rushes over to Naruto's unconscious form while her teammates go to help Rock Lee. Finding herself with no other recourse, she hits her friend over the head with her fist. Naruto sits up immediately and rubs the spot where she's whacked him, letting out a confused, "Wha?" as he comes to. His expression grows even more perplexed when Ino throws her arms around his neck and hugs him with all her strength. "Ino-chan?"

"I'm glad you're okay," she admits, pulling back to look at him. Then her fist rockets towards his head again, and he's busy clutching a new knot in pain. "What the hell's the matter with you!?"

"Er, sorry," he offers, visibly confused. "What happened here?" He looks around, and Ino watches his eyes land on Sakura. "Why's Sakura-chan's hair so short?" Ino's heart clenches briefly at the endearing way he addresses Sakura, just a little differently from how he says her own name. His eyes return to her and narrow slightly at the trail of red dribbling from her mouth. "Why're you bleeding, Ino-chan?"

_He noticed?_ "N-nothing," she stammers, not wanting to relive the viciousness of the Oto-nin. "I'm going to go fix Sakura's hair…she needs all the help she can get in attracting Sasuke-kun's attention. You stay here and just relax."

Naruto nods uncertainly. "Okay…"

"Oh," Ino adds as she begins to walk away, "and I really _am_ glad that you're all right."

-l-l-l-

Naruto watches the fight between Ino and Sakura quietly, unsure if he should say anything to cheer on either combatant. This is the longest preliminary match so far, and while most of the other spectators believe that the battlers are evenly matched due to their determination to win, Naruto isn't willing to buy into their theory quite yet.

Sakura, while arguably the smartest Genin of their age group, is not the most proficient hand-to-hand fighter. On the other hand, Ino is _technically_ the best student of their class, graduating from the Academy with the best grades. Naruto's not stupid enough to believe such a title means anything after spending months training under different Jōnin-sensei, but as most of his time is spent in the company of either Ino or Sakura (and Sasuke), he also has a far better grasp of their comparative abilities than any of the other observers present.

He is absolutely shocked when Ino pulls out a kunai and slices off the long ponytail she's been growing since before they even met. Seeing the lengths the other blonde is willing to go to in order to win this match confirms for Naruto that the playing field isn't as even as everyone else assumes. However, he continues to keep his mouth shut as Kakashi and Asuma discuss the fight. Given separate fights against any other opponent, Naruto is sure he would root for both Sakura and Ino to win their respective matches.

But the problem is that they are competing against each other, and Naruto is torn between his loyalty to his teammate (and crush), and his deep friendship with Ino. It just doesn't seem fair to spur one on to beat the other when both of them are important to him in different ways.

A small, almost traitorous voice in the back of his head (the one that silently resents Sakura's unending and focused fixation with Sasuke) niggles that he hopes Ino wins.

It's nothing against Sakura, but Ino has done more for him in his short life than the pink-haired girl has, no matter how high a pedestal Naruto has placed her on. And after the concern Ino showed him in the Forest of Death – physical abuse aside, Naruto can tell Ino was scared for him – he thinks that maybe the blonde girl deserves his support more than his teammate does. More than his bonds with either of his teammates, his connection with Ino has been strong for a long time. She's his best friend.

When Ino traps Sakura's feet with her hair and activates the _**Shintenshin**_, Naruto finally finds himself in agreement with Asuma's analysis; the fight is over.

Naruto allows a hidden smile to spread across his features as Ino raises Sakura's hand and forfeits in her name. _I'm proud of you, Ino-chan._

-l-l-l-

Ino resists the urge to rush straight for Konoha Hospital when news of the botched mission to retrieve Sasuke reaches her ears. Instead, she walks calmly beside Sakura – whose friendship she has started to rekindle – towards the medical facility, and requests Chōji's room number upon entering so she can go check up on her chubby teammate, whose injuries are most severe. She makes sure to note Naruto's room when Sakura asks for it so she can go visit her best friend afterwards.

She finds Chōji's father sitting on a bench outside the operating room where her teammate is. Chōza offers her a smile when she appears. "Tsunade-sama says he'll make a full recovery," he assures her. "It's a good thing she returned to Konoha, otherwise…"

Ino lets the older man trail off, knowing that she's also uncomfortable with acknowledging that without Tsunade, they most likely would have lost Chōji. She's suddenly very anxious to go check on Naruto, but knows that it's rude to do so without completing her first objective. "Can we see him?"

Chōza shakes his head. "Not yet. He still hasn't awoken from using the Three Colored Pills."

"Well, please let me know when he can have visitors." When the Akimichi Clan Head nods in understanding, Ino moves down the hallway as fast as is acceptable.

She arrives at the blonde's room just as Sakura is leaving, surreptitiously wiping tears from her eyes. "Stupid Naruto," mutters the pink-haired girl without venom before departing. As Ino enters the room, she finds herself mentally echoing the sentiment.

Naruto is more bandages than skin, his blue eyes gazing morosely at the crisp linen of his bed. Shikamaru sits by his feet, hands clasped together and left index finger in a splint. "Ino," the dark-haired boy acknowledges. Naruto's head shoots up at the sound of her name, and his blue eyes widen marginally when they land on her. Shikamaru's dark eyes flicker between the two blondes. "I'll leave you two alone," he says before getting up and leaving.

Neither Genin knows quite what to say, so they remain silent, Ino staring at Naruto's mummified form while Naruto returns his despondent gaze to the sheets. He clenches the linen in his hands. "Ino-chan…" he says, and his blue eyes turn towards her with a determined fire burning in them, "I promise that I'll bring Sasuke back –"

"You idiot!" Ino cries, rushing to the bed and standing over him with a fist raised. Naruto flinches away, expecting her blow, but Ino relaxes her grip and lets the anger seep out of her system. "I don't care about finding Sasuke-kun right now," she admits quietly. In lieu of his abandonment of the village, Ino's feelings for the Uchiha are a bit twisted, and she hasn't had the time to properly sort out the tumultuous emotions. Even prior to his betrayal, the Uchiha has held a consistently shrinking part in her thoughts, being replaced by good times shared with Naruto. "Don't you understand? You're my best friend…I don't know what I'd do if something happened to you."

"Really?" He sounds a bit surprised at the revelation, though for the life of her, Ino can't figure out why; it seems relatively obvious. "You're my best friend, too. And don't worry about me...I'll be okay," he smiles, and Ino finds herself reassured slightly by his infectious confidence.

"You better be." Then she sighs. "Get some rest…I'll bring by some food for you later."

"You're the best, Ino-chan!"

She walks out of the room to find Shikamaru leaning against the wall by the door. He falls in pace with her as she walks down the hallway towards the hospital's exit. "You heard that Chōji's okay?" Shikamaru asks.

"Yeah."

"…I'm fine, too, by the way," he adds dryly, waving his splinted finger in front of her. Ino shoots him a look that says he hardly has anything to complain about; in fact, it's almost like he's looking for a reaction from her. "Naruto seems really down about –"

"Why didn't you take me?"

Shikamaru sighs, "…Troublesome."

"Shikamaru, answer me!"

He fixes her with a stern look. "Ino, your skills aren't well-suited for direct combat. Even Neji, the strongest of all of us, nearly died, and Kiba, Lee, and I would've been killed if it weren't for the team from Suna."

"So you're saying I'm not strong enough."

"I'm saying that I had very little time to pick a team and you're not a combat specialist," he placates. "There will be other missions…just make sure you're ready for them when you're needed."

The rest of the walk is made in silence, but Ino is determined to take Shikamaru's words to heart. _I will be. _

-l-l-l-

"Weirdest. Team. _Ever._ I think Granny's gone senile."

Privately, Ino agrees with her fellow blonde, but is intelligent enough to not voice such a thought aloud…primarily because of who their teammates are.

"Naruto," intones Aburame Shino, looming next to him, "you should have more faith in Hokage-sama's decisions. Why? Because she would not put together a team which had no hope of completing its assigned mission."

"Yeah, brat," adds Mitarashi Anko creepily, appearing suddenly behind the blond, the point of a kunai held at his cheek. "Don't you like hanging out with dear Anko-sensei?"

Naruto can't repress a shudder at how eerie the personalities of the two shinobi are. When they return to traversing the path to the Land of the Sea, he heaves a sigh of relief. "You should really learn to control what you say," Ino comments amusedly, "but the likelihood of that is probably really small."

The blonde boy shoots her an indignant half-glare, half-pout, but refrains from saying anything. Taking his silence as her victory, Ino reflects on the strangeness of the mission and the mismatch of skills Tsunade has cobbled together to fulfill its parameters.

They're venturing out to the coast in order to protect the Land of the Sea's next shipment of money to the Land of Water. Unfortunately, a half-human, half-fish creature is apparently raiding the cargo ships sailing out from the Land of the Sea's ports; thus, their secondary mission is to neutralize the so-called Demon of the Sea. Though it's her first mission in some time, Ino is confident in her team's ability to complete it successfully.

By the time night falls, Ino is reassessing her original estimation of the mission's difficulty level. Naruto has been separated from the group (and maybe, she thinks fearfully, has drowned), and Anko is acting strange and mysterious…more so than usual, anyway. She walks away from the dock where she and Shino have just finished procuring a boat, nerves a bit frayed. Shino is silent beside her, and Ino hesitates in confiding her fears to the reclusive bug-nin she only knows peripherally. Then she considers how big a mistake prematurely judging Naruto was years ago, and concludes that perhaps it's advisable to not do the same to the Aburame. With that in mind, she hesitantly prompts, "Hey, Shino?"

"Yes?"

"Do you think that Naruto's okay?"

"Yes," he responds immediately, and Ino is impressed by his faith in her fellow blonde. "Why? Because Naruto is a ninja of Konoha, and beside that, he is very resourceful. He will find a way to get by until we meet up with him."

"Thanks Shino. I think I needed to hear that."

The bug-user nods. "Of course. It is only natural to worry for one's comrades. That is what is called teamwork."

In the morning, they find Naruto, as well as the Demon of the Sea, and though she escapes, Shino's intuition leads them to her hideout. The three Genin are separated from Anko and confronted by Akadō Yoroi from the Chūnin Exams, who Shino claims as his opponent. Ino hesitates on leaving the Aburame behind to fight the older male by himself, but his insistence prompts her and Naruto to meet up with Anko, who is facing a man she introduces as Amachi, and the Demon of the Sea, Isaribi.

An explosion rocks the underground tunnels, and Ino is thrown to the ground by their sensei. Naruto gets up to follow Amachi and Isaribi out, but Yoroi's teammate Misumi blocks his path and grabs him with rubbery arms. Ino scrabbles out from beneath the dirt and rocks and immediately connects her pointer finger from each hand to the thumb of the other, forming a roughly rectangular shape. _Here goes nothing…_ she thinks. "_**Shinranshin no Jutsu!**_"

Misumi's arms release their hold on her best friend and shoot out to wrap around some nearby stalagmites. Naruto massages his throat and coughs as Ino rushes up to him, Anko's arm slung over her shoulders. "New technique?" he croaks.

She nods. "The Mind Body Disturbance. Dad taught it to me for the Chūnin Exams, but, well…"

"The invasion started before your match. Works well. Remind me to thank Inoichi-san."

Shino pokes his head through the opening Amachi and Isaribi have disappeared through. "We must leave," he informs them.

They eventually catch up to their targets late in the morning; Shino immediately departs to engage Yoroi in combat again while Ino helps the sailors adrift in the sea and Naruto and Anko confront Amachi. Ino pays little attention to any of the fighting until a large wave sweeps over her, Shino, and Yoroi; the bug-user surfaces on a rock moments later, looking utterly spent. When Yoroi reappears with the intention of finishing off her temporary teammate, Ino reacts by throwing her hands into the seal for the _**Shinranshin**_ and activating it.

The act saves Shino, but draws Yoroi's attention to her. He approaches a little too quickly for her to react, and the blonde is paralyzed in fright, but insects swarm up his body and drain him of his remaining chakra before he reaches her. Ino stares dumbfounded at his prone body before glancing at Shino. "You saved me," she breathes, and she's not quite sure why she's so surprised.

"Naturally. This is also what is called teamwork."

The mission ends shortly thereafter with the successful capture of Amachi. As they board the ship bound for the mainland to return home, Naruto sidles up next to her. "Thanks again for the save in the cave, Ino-chan. I don't know what I would've done without you there."

Ino waves off the praise. "No, it was nothing."

"That is untrue," speaks Shino from her other side. "You played an intricate role in rescuing both Naruto and myself during the mission. Because of this, I also owe you my gratitude."

"Well, you guys both saved me, too, so…call it even?"

Naruto nods and smiles at her while Shino adjusts his glasses in a motion Ino assumes means he finds the statement agreeable. As the three turn to watch the boat cut through the water, a single thought runs through Ino's mind.

_Maybe I am getting stronger after all._

-l-l-l-

"It's been a while since we've been on a mission together."

"Well, our teams don't exactly work together that often. You know that my abilities work best when Shikamaru's around to back me up."

Naruto nods. "That's true. Besides, since Sakura-chan's busy studying medicine with Tsunade-baa-chan and Sasuke's…" he trails off, still uncomfortable with being unable to make Sasuke return to the Hidden Leaf. He clears his throat. "Well, I'm the only member of my team really available for missions."

Ino gives him a teasing look. "You were the _only_ person available for _this_ mission, regardless of suitability. Not that I need a bodyguard."

The blonde boy pouts. "That's pretty mean, Ino-chan." Then he cocks his head to the side. "Uh, what're we doing again?"

She sighs and buries her forehead in the palm of her hand. "Honestly, you have the attention span of an insect."

"Don't let Shino hear you say that."

"_Anyway,_" she states loudly, "I've been hired by one of the family members of the Fire Daimyō who's supposed to get engaged to the Daimyō of the Land of Noodles. We're going to get more details when we get there."

"That's vague."

"I know."

It doesn't take long for them to arrive at the house of Princess Fuku, who requests Ino to be her stand-in for the meeting with Chikara, the Daimyō of the Land of Noodles. Ino is forced to subtly kick Naruto to stop his laughter, as despite the obvious physical resemblance between Ino and the princess, the latter weighs _at least_ four times as much as the Yamanaka. "Stop it," she hisses. Naruto snorts and tries to contain his laughter as Ino bows to their client. "We'll do everything in our power to make sure the engagement goes through."

Several hours later, Naruto and Ino are sitting at a _kotatsu_ awaiting the arrival of Chikara, and the blonde boy is still releasing muffled guffaws. "Seriously?" Ino asks incredulously, but quietly enough so that Fuku – listening through a device connected to a different room – can't hear her.

"Oh, come on," he defends, "you can't tell me this isn't hilarious to you. She's like, a combination of you and Chōji!"

Ino's eyes practically ignite in flames. "_Say that again,_" she grits out, "_I DARE you._"

Naruto puts his hands up in a placating gesture and closes his eyes, grinning disarmingly. "Haha, just a joke, Ino-chan. No need to get so upset."

At that moment, a fat man with his shirt open to reveal his chest bursts through the doors, surrounded by minstrels proclaiming his greatness. Ino's jaw drops open and Naruto's lips purse so hard from restrained laughter that his cheeks puff out comically. The man flaunts himself as Chikara before he starts to dance around and woo Ino in an overly dramatic fashion. "It's a Chōji-Lee!" Naruto gasps in Ino's ear during the Daimyō's flamboyant gesturing.

Her lips quirk slightly at the remark, but her attention is focused more on not screwing up the princess' chance at marrying Chikara.

Despite how absolutely insufferable Ino finds the man, she manages to get through the majority of the meeting with Naruto's (mostly) quiet help. His presence is reassuring to her, soothing in its simplicity and nearness, and she finds herself enjoying the time spent with her best friend (especially with how often he's been disappearing on missions), even though Chikara's presence mars the atmosphere.

The mission ends up being a success when Princess Fuku slams open the sliding doors, desperate to see her revered fiancé, and reveals Ino to be a fraud…and Chikara finds her more attractive than Ino. Both Konoha-nin are back on the road within the hour, and Ino is in a state of shock, moving like an automaton. "I just…don't understand," she mumbles.

"Hm? What's that?"

"Everything I've read says that men don't like women who are built like her! It's all about females who are _thin_. THIN!" she screeches. "And who would be attracted to a guy like _that!_ A gentleman should be tall and handsome and…and…well-mannered!" she settles on.

Naruto shrugs. "What about the Akimichi clan? Chōji's parents are pretty big."

"…But…that's…"

"You're very pretty, Ino-chan," he continues blithely, oblivious to Ino turning to him, a startled expression on her face from hearing him admit such a fact, "so I don't think you'll have a problem attracting a 'gentleman'. Besides, I don't think there's a specific type of person that all people like." He pauses and turns to face her. "You're not going to go on a diet again, are you?"

"No, you were right about how much calories we burn as shinobi," she concedes. "I need all that energy to be able to make it through training and missions." The platinum blonde sighs theatrically. "But I'll definitely need to reassess what all those magazines say."

Naruto put an arm around her shoulders. "If you say so, Ino-chan."

-l-l-l-

Ino sits with Asuma at Yakiniku Q watching Chōji eat his way through a stack of barbequed meat. "Honestly," she sighs, "you finally get the all-clear from Tsunade-sama that you're completely recovered, and you immediately come here to pig out." She shoots Asuma a glare. "You shouldn't enable him so much."

Asuma shrugs. "He said he wanted to train after this. If this is what it takes for him to put in the effort, so be it."

"You'll be broke within a couple of months," she warns before looking at the clock. "Damn, I gotta go. Chōji, you'll be there, right?" The chubby boy mumbles something incomprehensible through his food and waves his chopsticks in a gesture of agreement. "Alright, see you soon." Ino leaves the barbeque joint and begins to walk down the road, heading for where she knows Team Gai trains.

Naruto is leaving within the hour for a three year training trip with Jiraiya of the Sannin, and Ino is determined to give her best friend the goodbye he deserves. To Naruto, friends are the most important thing in the world, and Ino thinks that nothing will make for a better send-off than gathering all of them together one more time.

Tenten is watching Lee run Gai ragged from her seated position on a tree root when Ino arrives. The blonde tells the older kunoichi what she's planning, and Tenten promises that she'll be there with Lee in tow. Ino nods and thanks her when Tenten informs her that Neji is training at the Hyūga compound. She continues on, running into Shino and Kiba just outside the Hyūga complex, and the bug-user agrees to pass on the message to Neji and Hinata. Ever since the mission with Anko and Naruto, getting along with Shino has gotten much easier, so much so that Ino entertains the idea that it's simpler to speak to him than a fellow kunoichi like Hinata.

Since Sakura already knows of Naruto's departure, Ino immediately goes to work searching for Shikamaru. She finds him standing at the gate, bidding farewell to the Sand Siblings, and manages to convince them to stay until Naruto comes by.

When Naruto comes into sight half an hour later, walking next to Jiraiya, all of his friends are at the gate waiting for him. "Wh-what're you guys doing here?"

Shikamaru gestures with his head to Ino. "She got us all together to see you off properly."

"Really, Ino-chan?" Naruto asks in a voice that indicates he can't quite believe she's done this.

"Yeah, well, I wanted to make sure that you knew you had a reason for coming back," she tells him. "So hurry up and get stronger."

"Okay!" Naruto looks around at his friends – all of whom offer their own personal indication of good luck and farewell – and then focuses back on Ino. He grabs her in a hug and whispers, "Thanks, Ino-chan. I'll be back before you know it, believe it!" Then, with one last wave, he walks through Konoha's great gates.

Everyone disperses until only Shikamaru remains by Ino's side. "He'll be fine," he reassures her. "He's stronger than all of us…now it's our turn to catch up to him."

Ino thinks back on all the accomplishments Naruto has managed since their graduation from the Academy: his battle with Momochi Zabuza of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist and defeat of Haku the ice-user; fighting with Orochimaru of the Sannin in the Forest of Death; defeating Neji, the Hyūga prodigy, in the Chūnin Exams, and then Gaara, a Genin who had never been hurt before coming to Konoha; protecting Tsunade from the combined assault of Orochimaru and Kabuto; fighting Sasuke at the Valley of the End…

She sniffles a little, unaware of when she even started crying. "I know…I'll just miss him."

In an outwardly uncharacteristic display of support, Shikamaru places one hand on her shoulder. "I think we all will."

-l-l-l-

"So…she's pretty cute. Who is she, your girlfriend?"

"SHUT UP, ERO-SENNIN!"


	3. Blurring the Line

**Author's Note: **Well, didn't get as much reception on the last chapter. Hopefully this one will be different. Thanks to those of you who did let me know what you thought, and please let me know how you like this one (your favorite scene, the whole chapter, etc.)!

Also, pretend that the Shippūden timeline was dragged out a bit. By the time the Fourth Shinobi World War comes around here, the Rookie 9 are 17. To anyone who reads the manga, this ignores anything that occurred (or will occur) after the fight against the resurrected Kages, just to set a place. And I've left how the war ends vague, 'cause I don't wanna screw with that.

-l-l-l-

"A guy and a girl can be just friends, but at one point or another, they will fall for each other...Maybe temporarily, maybe at the wrong time, maybe too late, or maybe forever."

_- Dave Matthews Band_

Naruto walks through Konoha's giant gates for the first time in two and a half years, his mind centered on only one subject. Jiraiya half-heartedly attempts to stop him from running off, but he knows it's a lost cause. The only thing the blonde has been able to talk about during the journey home is the young Yamanaka girl, and the Toad Sannin has filled what feels like decades by teasing his pupil about his 'girlfriend'. Every time the topic came up, Naruto vehemently denied the claim, but as he watches the orange- and black-clad back of his godson, Jiraiya knows that a time will come when Naruto finally sees the light.

Until then though, a healthy dose of blackmail will probably come in handy in the long run.

Naruto practically sprints towards Yamanaka Flowers, opening the door and setting off the chiming of the bell. "Welcome to Yamanaka Flowers," intones the bored voice of Ino, staring at a magazine on the countertop, "how may I help you?"

"Is this how you greet all your customers, Ino-chan? No wonder business is slow."

She looks up as the familiarity of the voice resonates within her, a happy smile alighting upon her features. "Naruto! You're back!" The Yamanaka ducks beneath the side-entrance to the counter and rushes to her friend.

Naruto catches her with a laugh, embracing her tightly before placing her back on the floor. "I should hope so! Otherwise this is one really cruel dream."

Now arms-width apart, Ino gives him a good once-over. Puberty has started its work, giving Naruto height and – if the hug is any indication – musculature he didn't possess before leaving. His voice is a little different, and his face looks leaner, but Ino recognizes the unruly blonde spikes, the orange in the outfit, and the blue of his eyes – were they always so _blue?_ – shining with mirth...

And she realizes she's been staring far too long for what could be considered mere friendly appraisal. "You've really grown," she manages.

Naruto, meanwhile, also notices the changes in his best friend. Ino's hair has grown out from the Chūnin Exams, held in a high ponytail in back (similar to her father) with a long sweep of bangs covering her right eye; Naruto sees no practicality in the style, aside from the fact that it makes her look oddly alluring. Her outfit isn't too different – still purple, predictably – though her midriff is now revealed and fishnet has replaced the bandages as accessories in some places. His time with Jiraiya (and all the man's less reputable claims-to-fame) takes over, and he notices how time has influenced the girl's – _woman's_, he corrects mentally – body. "Yeah…you, too."

"I'm up here, you perv."

"Heheh, right." He scratches the back of his head in that same, embarrassed fashion he always has, and Ino rolls her eyes. Maybe she'll punish him at some other time for staring at her breasts, but in this moment, it's just good to have him back.

Besides, sometimes it's nice to be noticed and appreciated, even if the method it's done in is somewhat…lewd.

Naruto is telling her a story of how he once sabotaged one of Jiraiya's 'research' excursions when he's called away to go see the Hokage. He leaves, promising to return as soon as he can (and after he secures a new place to live, not wanting to continue to mooch off the Yamanakas), and Ino returns to manning the counter, a bright grin now decorating her lips.

_He's finally back._

-l-l-l-

"Wait, wait, wait...you just got back a week ago and you've already saved the Kazekage's life?"

Naruto just returned from a mission to rescue Gaara from Akatsuki's clutches, and Ino was waiting for him by Konoha's great gates, one foot tapping in mixed impatience and anger. It isn't really his fault that Tsunade assigned the mission to his team, but finding out that he disappeared the day after his training trip ended caused an irrational rise in the female blonde's ire. She intercepts him upon his return, demanding to know the details.

"Mm hm. It was pretty close though," confirms Naruto, looking skyward somberly, fingers laced behind his head. "Apparently, when Akatsuki extracts the Bijū, the host dies. But Chiyo-baa-san sacrificed her life to bring Gaara back from the dead. There was a ceremony for her and…Ino-chan?" He realizes that his friend is no longer walking beside him, but is motionless a number of paces back, expression blank.

"The host dies?" she whispers. Her eyes focus upon Naruto, whose features display only concern. "_You'll_ die?"

He laughs nervously. "Me? Why would you think –"

"Because you contain the Kyūbi!" she whispers fiercely.

The speed at which the color drains from his face is almost comical. His mouth works wordlessly, silently trying to ask how she knows. Ino continues softly, "Tsunade-sama told us all when we made Chūnin. Everyone's fine with it…though I'm mad that _you_ never told me."

'Fine', of course, is a matter of perspective. Initially, shock was the biggest factor, followed by an overwhelming sadness and then personal introspection for each of the Rookie 9 and Team Gai. Neji, Shino, and Shikamaru made peace with the new information quickest, probably because they had their suspicions beforehand; everyone else had their own way of integrating the news.

Ino's method was a several day long ordeal, consisting of crying, prolonged lapses of silence, questions to her father, and a brief bout of self-loathing brought on by reconciling Naruto's memories from when they switched bodies with how he was treated before they became friends. After she realized that the fact that Naruto was the jailor of a giant demon didn't change her opinion of him, it was put out of her mind.

Until Akatsuki made itself known.

"I thought about it," Naruto admits, "back when we became Genin. But I didn't know how you'd react…and I didn't want to burden you with that knowledge."

"We're best friends, Naruto!" she exclaims indignantly.

"I know...and I'm sorry. How 'bout I promise not to keep anything from you ever again?"

"…I'll hold you to that," she warns. After a beat of silence, she continues, "I told you that I won't know what I'd do if you were gone." The words are an echo of her sentiment from almost three years before, after the failed mission to retrieve Sasuke. "Promise me you'll be careful."

He stares at her for a time, as if trying to puzzle out some riddle she's keeping hidden. Although the words are the same as the last time she said them, he feels like there's a deeper meaning behind them this time. Finally, he nods. "I promise. But hey, I'm the great Uzumaki Naruto! No member of Akatsuki is gonna get his hands on me!"

Ino covers the giggle threatening to escape by rolling her eyes to defuse his bravado. "Don't get so full of yourself. The last thing you need is an over-inflated ego."

"You know," Naruto says, ignoring the barb, "Sakura-chan took down one of Akatsuki's members. Apparently, he was a former partner of Orochimaru, and now we're gonna go meet with a spy he planted within Orochimaru's base. If we get lucky, Sasuke'll be home real soon for you and Sakura-chan to fight over again."

Ino lets the other blonde continue to talk about the mission, mind awhirl. Truthfully, she hasn't really thought about Uchiha Sasuke since he abandoned the village. Her focuses have been more on her training and making sure her boys – Shikamaru, Chōji, and, to a lesser extent, Asuma – are taking care of themselves. Naruto's return to the Hidden Leaf has placed him again on that list of people Ino has taken it upon herself to look after, topping even her two teammates with how much danger he seems to be involved in.

Telling him that she no longer thinks about Sasuke would prove pointless for another reason: Naruto has a strong tie to the Uchiha that Ino doesn't fully understand, and finding him is part of what drives Naruto to keep moving forward. Ino's feelings on the matter are simply superfluous to Naruto's ultimate goal of bringing him back. But with Naruto chasing Sasuke, Sasuke chasing Akatsuki, and Akatsuki chasing Naruto, it's only a matter of time before one catches the other. Ino fears that that day is far too close for her liking.

_If getting rid of Akatsuki is the only way to keep Naruto safe, then so be it._ She promises herself that she will find a way to help take down the criminal organization once and for all. The platinum blonde nods to herself, affirming her resolution. _They won't get Naruto, that's for sure._

-l-l-l-

Naruto sits on a bench outside Konoha Hospital, waiting for Sakura to show up. His mind is mostly focused upon the cold words Sasuke imparted to him upon the conclusion of their last mission, but another piece of it fixates on the horrible transformation he underwent before confronting his former teammate.

He senses another person sit down beside him, and turns to find fair skin and long, platinum blonde hair. "Ino-chan," he voices, mildly surprised. "What are you doing here?"

"Asuma-sensei wanted to go visit Kakashi-sensei in the hospital, so he asked us to meet him here. I'm just a little early." She peers at him curiously. "You don't look so good…something you want to talk about?"

Naruto grips his shirt over his navel and clenches the fabric. "Something's wrong with me, Ino-chan," he confides quietly. "On our last mission, we ran into Orochimaru, and…I got mad. Really mad. I drew on the Kyūbi's power and I turned into…a monster. Just like everyone always used to say."

Not for the first time, Ino feels her heart go out to her fellow blonde. Seeing him so despondent and morose is just so unnatural that Ino knows she has to find a way to cheer him up. She slides closer to him and places her arm around his shoulders, and is mildly disturbed when he practically flinches away at the contact. "Naruto," she says in the same soft voice he's using, "you're not a monster. You protect everyone in the village from the Kyūbi. Without you, so many more people would have died all those years ago. Maybe even my parents. You're a _hero_."

"I don't feel like a hero," he murmurs. "Ow!" he yelps when Ino punches him in the shoulder. "Ino-chan, what was that –"

"Quit being a dumbass! You're one of the bravest shinobi I know. You've taken on countless opponents who thought they were better than you no matter what the odds were, and saved plenty of lives! Just pretend that the Kyūbi is another one of those opponents. You can beat it…I have faith in you."

"I'm a little afraid…"

"It's okay to be afraid. The important thing is to not let that fear control you. If something _does_ happen, we'll help you control –"

"NO!" he yells, startled. His blue eyes are suddenly wide with an even deeper terror. He takes a deep breath to calm himself down and then repeats, "No…Ino-chan, if that ever happens…if the Kyūbi ever takes over…get far away from me. You have to promise me that."

"But –"

"_Promise me,_" he demands. His hands grip her shoulders and his tone is so serious that Ino finds herself nodding in acceptance regardless of how she feels. He searches her eyes for a moment, looking for some clue that she might disobey him, but when he finds nothing his grasp on her slackens and he collapses in on himself. "I have no control when the Kyūbi's in control…I hurt Sakura real bad when it happened. I won't let the same thing happen to you."

"Fine…but I can take care of myself, you know." He smiles joylessly at her statement, and Ino can tell that even though she's helped, there's still something else bothering him. Instead of nitpicking at it, she arches one platinum blonde eyebrow curiously, deciding to distract him. "So…'Sakura'? No '-chan'? Did something happen while you were away?" she teases.

His face momentarily adopts a sad look different from the one he's been wearing. "No… We ran into Sasuke…and now I know that she'll never give up on him. But," he continues, face lightening into a faux approximation of its usual cheerful expression, "there's plenty of fish in the sea, right?"

Ino stares at him for a moment longer, trying to discern if there's anything else she can say to make him feel better. When she decides that all he really needs is time, she gets to her feet and stretches. "Yep! And who knows," she continues, striking an alluring pose meant to make him laugh, "maybe the girl you're looking for is right under your nose!"

The taller blonde grants her a small, genuine smile before getting up and walking into the hospital with her. She continues to see pieces of the normal Naruto break through when the rest of their respective teams show up, and later, when Naruto is forced to dive across the table at lunch to prevent Sai from calling Chōji fat, Ino forces herself to choke her laughter at the absurdity of the scene.

She's immensely flattered when Sai calls her gorgeous, though Naruto's glare at the newest member of Team Kakashi stays with her throughout the day.

-l-l-l-

Ino stands behind the counter of Yamanaka Flowers, fingers deftly working on the organization of a bouquet. Her skill at arranging flora is top-notch, which is good because her mind is in a place very far away, watching blood dribble out of her sensei's mouth as she monitors the failure of his vitals.

_"Ino…you're very confident, but…you know how to take care of yourself… Chōji and Shikamaru…these guys are kind of clumsy…so take care of them… And…don't you lose to Sakura…in ninjutsu or in love…"_

The bell to the shop tinkles, and Ino looks up to see Naruto walk in, still wearing his black funeral clothes. She notices idly that her friend looks more mature dressed in something other than his garish orange and black outfit, with blonde spikes falling into his eyes and Tsunade's necklace prominently displayed, but her thoughts are too jumbled to dwell on this particular one. He says nothing as he leans against the counter, watching Ino return to her work. "How're you doing?" he finally asks.

At any other time, the question is so asinine that Ino is sure she would respond with some sort of snappish remark. As it is, the platinum blonde isn't in the right mindset to muster up a venomous response for her best friend. "Fine."

Ino can sense Naruto peering at her intently, and she briefly curses him for knowing her so well. "Ino-chan…"

His voice is tender, as if he knows he's dealing with something very fragile, and Ino releases a sob at his compassion. "It's not fair! Why did he…why did he have to die?"

Before she knows what's going on, Naruto jumps over the counter and is holding her in a soothing embrace. "Shh, shh, it's okay, Ino-chan. Just let it all out…it's okay to cry." She cries into the taller blonde's chest in a way she hasn't allowed herself to do either at the funeral or in front of Chōji and Shikamaru, needing to be strong for them…to take care of them.

Just as Asuma asked her to do.

"Asuma-sensei was a great man," Naruto says, as if she's unaware of this fact. Despite him speaking over her head, she can feel the reverberations of his words in his chest, and simply _feeling_ his nearness comforts her. "He gave me some pointers on controlling wind chakra. One day, I hope that I can be as proficient with it as he was."

Naruto isn't quite rambling, but she can tell that he's talking about whatever comes to mind Asuma-related in order to draw her attention to the good times with her late teacher. She's grateful that he's doing so, if only because his talking is making it easier to focus less on what has happened. "He said that…I have to take care of…Shikamaru and Chōji," she hiccups.

"That sounds about right," he chuckles. "He's pretty smart to leave that task to you…you're pushy enough to keep them in line. Ow!" he exclaims when Ino punches him in the gut.

"Don't be a baby, you know that didn't hurt," she chides, now looking him in the eyes. Her own are now dry, though there are still salty tracks lingering on her cheeks.

"It's a pity he didn't tell you to look after me," Naruto wishes, "otherwise maybe you'd be less violent."

"Now you're just being mean."

"Maybe," he shrugs, crystal blue eyes searching baby blue ones, "but you're feeling better now, aren't you?"

Ino is suddenly aware that they've been standing in close proximity to each other for a long time. They're near enough that it won't take much movement for them to be kissing, and if someone walks in on them, it will probably look as if they are two lovers in an embrace.

She finds it strange that she doesn't care. "Yeah…thanks, Naruto."

He smiles at her and brushes a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "That's what I'm here for, Ino-chan. I've got to go back to training, though…I'll see you later." He kisses her on the forehead and then walks out of the shop.

Ino watches him go, not quite sure how to interpret what has just taken place. When she moves her fingers through her hair, the blonde is surprised to feel a flower tucked behind her ear. She pulls it out and smiles fondly at the indigo-colored pansy in her grasp, idly wondering when Naruto picked the plant without her noticing.

_Maybe the reason Asuma-sensei didn't tell me to take care of you was because he knew I needed _you_ to take care of _me_…_

-l-l-l-

Naruto and the rest of Team Kakashi (and why they're called Team Kakashi when Kakashi himself is only on it about half the time is beyond the blonde) almost arrive at the fight too late. A searing fire jutsu is bearing down upon Kakashi, Ino, and Chōji, and Naruto and Yamato are forced to mix together a wind and water jutsu, respectively, to shield Team 10 from the scorching assault.

The Jinchūriki glares at the Akatsuki member across the forest of dead trees, the Kyūbi's chakra flowing through his body (though whether it's because of all the chakra he's expelled in training or anger at how close Ino, Kakashi, and Chōji were to death is debatable).

For some reason, the latter feels more likely.

The wriggling black _things_ that are sticking out of the Akatsuki member's body pulse forward when Naruto creates several Shadow Clones and sends them into battle. It's mostly impulse to do so, because spawning doppelgangers is his go-to strategy when starting a fight, but the information he gleans from their destruction proves invaluable.

Several more clones pop into existence even as Ino and Chōji tell him that he needs backup. He reassures them that he knows what he's doing as two clones go to work creating the _**Rasenshuriken**_.

Naruto runs forward with the new technique whirring in his hand, his clones running ahead of him to create the necessary distraction. They're destroyed by the Akatsuki member's attacks, but it doesn't matter because Naruto is right next to the nukenin with the tool to the man's destruction mere inches away.

_These are the bastards who are hunting me…who captured Gaara. They made Sasuke leave the village. They killed Asuma-sensei._ His eyes harden as his hand thrusts forward to close the gap between the _**Rasenshuriken**_ and the Akatsuki member. _And they made Ino-chan cry…_

The force of the technique blasts the nukenin back several hundred feet before he's engulfed in a massive sphere of wind chakra. Naruto is already on his knees when the man's howls of pain reach his ears. His body slumps forward, but Chōji manages to catch him right before he hits the ground. "That was amazing, Naruto," he says, awed. "We were having so much trouble taking down Kakuzu, and you just came in and took him out with one jutsu. You're no Shikamaru, but you can be pretty smart when you want to, huh?"

"Heheh, well, I don't know about that –"

"Damn right, you don't," Ino interrupts. "It was stupid of you to go in there by yourself." Her hands become encased in a green glow as she kneels down and places her them upon her friend's back. "Your chakra is practically gone and your body is under a lot of stress. That jutsu is highly dangerous to use."

"Maybe…but now Asuma-sensei's killers are gone." He turns solemn blue eyes up to look at Ino. "Isn't that what's important?"

"Asuma-sensei believed that the King was important," comes Shikamaru's voice. The Nara is walking towards them, his hands in his pockets. He looks between Naruto and Ino, as if analyzing something about them that no one else can see. "I think that he'd be happy with how much progress you've made."

Naruto grins tiredly at the dark-haired boy.

Meanwhile, Ino stares at Shikamaru, trying to figure out why it sounds like he's referring to something completely different from what the spiky-haired blonde has asked…and why she feels like her teammate's cryptic message involves her more than it should.

-l-l-l-

Ino gapes in trepidation and terror at the utter monstrosity that has risen out of the water before her and the rest of the Konoha-nin. The Sanbi is a gigantic seafoam green turtle covered in spiked armor, with only one visible eye and its namesake three tails submerged in the water at its back. In the presence of the wild Bijū, Ino momentarily loses sight of her role in the mission she has been assigned.

_This is the power of a Tailed Beast? And this one's only the Three-Tails!_

The Kyūbi is a creature Ino doesn't give much thought to anymore. It's sealed within her best friend, and while the notion is mildly disturbing, she has made her peace with that little factoid. In fact, the knowledge that Naruto is a prison for the fox ended up explaining all the disdain he accumulated in his childhood. Ino thought she understood what his status as a Jinchūriki meant.

But staring the Sanbi in the face, the platinum blonde realizes that she comprehends _nothing_ of what Naruto lives with.

Sakura's yell brings Ino back to the current situation. She focuses her chakra to activate the sealing barrier Tsunade has created expressly for this purpose and then steps out onto the choppy water at Shizune's behest. With the Sanbi already out in the open, the searching function of the seal activates immediately, forcing Ino to distance herself from Sakura and Shizune as the binding function takes effect. The Three-Tails immediately stills, and Ino finds herself heaving a sigh of relief that she's not about to be crushed beneath one of the turtle's massive namesakes.

She shrieks when the Sanbi suddenly begins to thrash around, disrupting the placid water of the lake and forcing all the members of the sealing team to release the technique. Ino falls to one knee as the loss of chakra hits her, and she takes great gasps of air while focusing on not falling beneath the water's surface. There is little doubt n her mind that should she become fully submerged in the Three-Tails' domain, it'll kill her, deliberately or not.

Ino is only partially aware of reaching shore, and through her fading consciousness, she watches as the Sanbi dives out of the water and swallows Naruto and the crystal-user he's been fighting whole. Orange legwarmers enter her sight, and she can't even find the energy to berate Lee for how he picks her up and carries her over to the rest of the sealing team.

She's too busy healing the boy Naruto has been working to protect – Yūkimaru, she remembers absently – with Sakura to join in on the conversation her colleagues are having about how to rescue Naruto. While she's worried about her friend's well-being, she also knows that Naruto can take care of himself (for the most part) without her interference. That doesn't even take into account that, as part of the sealing team, Ino will play absolutely no role in rescuing her fellow blonde regardless of whatever plan Kakashi and the others come up with.

The Yamanaka is relieved when Naruto escapes the belly of the beast early the next morning, but most of her attention is focused on making sure she is channeling her chakra correctly for the Four-Corner Sealing Barrier. A short shriek escapes her lips when a blue and white slug appears on her shoulder, but Sakura's reassurance that the gastropod is Tsunade's personal summon Katsuyu calms her nerves. As the technique takes effect, Ino finds her confidence in her abilities building, and she steadily becomes more determined to seal away the Sanbi in its own realm.

Just as she thinks they're about to experience success, the Bijū breaks through the barrier and stirs up a deluge of waves. Ino catches sight of Sakura going under the water right before the surf hits her and plunges her into the lake's depths. For the second time in as many days, the blonde is thrown towards the shore, and though she remains conscious (probably because Katsuyu has been giving her chakra for the seal, preventing her from exhausting her own), she scrapes up against a rock, opening a gash on the upper part of her right arm. The Sanbi is rushing toward the cliff face overlooking the lake, and she can barely make out two brightly-colored forms standing next to a more humanoid figure with bright yellow hair.

She watches in stunned disbelief as her friend manages to repel the Three-Tails by way of some sort of massive fire jutsu. The situation seems strangely reminiscent of the stories of the Yondaime subduing the Kyūbi, and Ino is surprised by how much Naruto resembles Konoha's savior.

The thought of the Yondaime's fate befalling Naruto is suddenly all too real, and Ino finds herself terrified to her core despite her faith in him.

Shino appears next to her. "We are rendezvousing at the cabin," he intones. "Are you capable of moving?"

Ino grips her wound with the opposite hand and stands up. "Yeah, let's go."

When the entire team meets back up, the three Jōnin cordon themselves in the other room with Yūkimaru while Sakura tends to Ino. Five minutes later, the pink-haired girl wipes her brow and releases a breathy huff. "That's all I can do for you right now," she says. "I'm going to bandage your arm so it doesn't get infected."

"Here Sakura, Let me do that."

Both girls look up to find Naruto standing over them. He kneels down and holds out his hand for Sakura to deposit the bandages in; she hesitates a moment before handing them over. "I'm going to look after the others," she says, standing and dusting off her clothes before moving away.

Naruto begins wrapping the upper part of Ino's arm in cloth. "This'll be quite the battle scar, Ino-chan," he comments lightly.

"Once I've recovered my chakra, I'll finish healing it myself." There's a momentary lapse in conversation, and then Ino prompts, "Naruto?"

"Hm?"

"…I'm sorry."

The taller blonde looks at her, confusion shining in his blue eyes. "For what?"

"That you've had to deal with something like that," she gestures outside, to where the Sanbi is residing somewhere beneath the surface of the lake, "for your entire life."

"Neh, it's okay, Ino-chan. You don't have to apologize. After all, it's not your fault I've got the bastard fox stuck inside of me." He pauses briefly and then continues, "Actually, I think that I owe you."

"Huh?"

He finishes tying the bandage and turns his gaze to the ceiling. "Well, if it wasn't for you becoming my friend, my life probably would've been a lot worse."

"But what about before we became friends?"

Naruto shrugs. "Nothing we can do about that. The past is the past. You've been there for me whenever I needed you." Blue eyes find hers, and he smiles. "So thanks, Ino-chan, for being my friend."

Ino isn't quite sure what to say in response to that, so she speaks the only words that come to mind: "You're welcome."

-l-l-l-

Naruto sits on a bench outside a convenience store, retaining a tenuous grasp on a popsicle which is melting. The news that Jiraiya, his beloved mentor, has died is still fresh in his mind, despite the knowledge being almost half a day old. He's grateful for the dark of night, which disguises the tears dripping to the ground next to the liquefied drops of his frozen treat.

"It's a lot harder to track you down when you aren't visiting any of your usual haunts."

The blonde's head swivels to find Ino taking the seat next to him, draping her platinum blonde hair over the back of the bench as she stares at the moon. Naruto rubs his forearm across his eyes and sniffs, trying to remove any sign of his tears. "I heard about Jiraiya-sama," Ino continues, voice soft.

Naruto finds himself grateful when she doesn't try to sympathize with his loss by apologizing. "I wanted him to see me do something great," he whispers, "to see me not be a screw-up."

"He was your sensei," she states simply. "I'm sure he was proud of you no matter what you did. And you're not a screw-up...you've done plenty of things no one ever thought you capable of."

"How do you know that he was proud of me?"

"Because Asuma-sensei was the same way with us," Ino tells him with certainty. "It's probably a requisite of being a teacher, to be proud of your students." She moves her head so it's resting on Naruto's left shoulder. "And because _I'm_ proud of you, so I know that others are, too."

Naruto doesn't say anything, but he puts an arm around Ino's shoulders and leans his cheek against her scalp. "You give good advice on benches," he says finally, referring back to when she soothed his fears about the Kyūbi in front of the hospital.

"I give good advice in other places, too," she tells him matter-of-factly. "Are you going to be okay?"

The spiky-haired blonde tries to shrug, but his best friend's head on his shoulder hinders the motion. "Maybe…eventually…" They sit in silence for a long time, simply enjoying each other's presence in the light of the moon. "Ino-chan?"

"Hm?"

"Can you…spend the night tonight? I don't really want to be alone."

"Sure."

As they head back to Naruto's apartment, Naruto reaches out and grasps her hand in his own. She doesn't resist the gesture and when they reach the taller blonde's abode, she disappears into the bathroom with some of Naruto's casual clothes to use as pajamas. When she finishes changing and exits the bathroom, Naruto is sitting at the head of his bed with his knees drawn up to his chest, staring morosely at his feet. Ino climbs onto the small futon and sits next to him. "Someone once told me that it was okay to cry."

Naruto grins weakly. "He sounds very wise."

Ino seesaws her hand back and forth in the air. "He has his moments." Her fellow blonde tries to pout at her, but the expression comes off as more forlorn than anything else. "You know, if you want to talk about Jiraiya-sama, I'm willing to listen. I know what it's like to lose your teacher."

"I know. I just…I'm not ready."

"I understand."

Silence overtakes them, and both blondes eventually fall asleep, Naruto's arms wrapped around Ino's waist in a parody of a child looking for comfort from a stuffed animal.

The next morning, Shikamaru is surprised when Ino answers Naruto's door dressed in his clothes. "Come on in," she beckons.

"…So…" he begins, stepping across the threshold, "you and Naruto finally…" he coughs awkwardly, unwilling to continue.

"What? _No!_ No, he's just…not taking Jiraiya-sama's death very well."

"Ah…and you…?"

"He asked for some company. You remember what it was like when Asuma-sensei –"

"I know," Shikamaru interrupts. He looks thoughtful for a moment, and then nods to himself. "Look, I know that now's a really sensitive time for him, but I need his help. Can you get him to come with me?"

"I'll see what I can do."

Ino convinces Naruto to follow Shikamaru out, and then decides to tag along behind the boys, curious as to what her teammate is planning. Her curiosity is piqued when the Nara takes them to meet Kurenai coming out of the hospital, and he explains his intentions to become the child's sensei. She's a little surprised to hear Shikamaru's resolve given his laziness, but his words seem to have an effect on Naruto, who allows a slow smile to spread across his face. When Naruto agrees to help Shikamaru crack the code his late-sensei has left behind, Ino finds relief flooding her body.

_Good job, Shikamaru…and welcome back, Naruto._

Shikamaru glances back at her as he and Naruto head for the headquarters of Konoha's Cryptanalysis Squad, analyzing her with dark eyes. His gaze reminds Ino of his assumption about her relationship with her fellow blonde earlier that morning, and of his knowing look back in the forest after Naruto killed Kakuzu, and she feels a blush creep up her cheeks.

_What does Shikamaru see that I don't?_

-l-l-l-

Ino exchanges glances with the rest of the Konoha 11 as Naruto walks away from the piles of wood being used to reconstruct Konoha, his departing words ringing in their ears. "That guy…" growls Kiba, "I don't understand what he's thinking."

"Perhaps Naruto-kun has a plan," Lee suggests.

Tenten snorts. "Hardly."

"Whether he does or doesn't is irrelevant," Neji insists. "He needs to accept the consequences of Sasuke's actions and understand that we will not just let the Uchiha go free."

Ino turns to leave, and Shino asks, "Where are you going?"

"To get answers," she replies.

She catches up to Naruto part of the way to Ichiraku Ramen and strolls next to him quietly for a moment, trying to come up with the right words to say. "Why are you doing this?" she finally settles on asking, hoping the direct route will work. "Back when we were kids, he never really treated you like that good of a friend. I don't understand your obsession with him, and I want answers. And don't lie to me."

Naruto laces his fingers behind his head and gazes into the sky solemnly. "Sasuke's trapped in the darkness," he tells her, "and he's determined to take revenge upon Konoha. He's caused a lot of people pain…and to end the cycle of hatred, the only one who can kill him is me. If I don't, more people will just continue to suffer…I'm the only one who can understand what Sasuke's going through, who can bear his burden." He looks at Ino. "Shouldn't you be sadder about this? Sakura was devastated."

Ino shakes her head. "That's because Sakura still loves him. I haven't cared about Sasuke for a long time now…and I agree with what Neji and Shikamaru said."

"Really?"

"He nearly killed you, Naruto! Several times, in fact! He indirectly almost killed Chōji, Neji, Kiba, Lee, and Shikamaru…and he joined Akatsuki, which _did_ manage to kill Gaara and Asuma-sensei! You can't possibly be so blind!"

They arrive at Ichiraku Ramen and sit down. Teuchi notices that they're in the middle of a conversation, and instead of asking what they want, immediately sets to work making the noodles and broth with his best guess. "I'm not," he reassures her. "Look, I need you to understand that this is something I _have_ to do, whether you get why I'm doing it or not."

His blue eyes are steely with determination, and Ino finds that she can't deny him his request when he looks so seriousness and sure. "…Fine," she allows at length, "but you know that you can rely on us if you need to, right?"

When Teuchi sets a steaming bowl of ramen before each blonde, Naruto picks up his chopsticks and dips them into his meal. "I know," he says, twirling some noodles around the chopsticks and bringing them to his mouth. Before he inserts them in his mouth, the blonde adds, "Thanks for understanding, Ino."

Several drops of ramen broth splatter onto the counter as a bunch of noodles slip out of Ino's chopsticks. "Ah!"

"You okay?" he manages around his ramen.

"Yeah, just…surprised. You dropped the '-chan'…something you want to tell me?"

Naruto blinks. "Oh. No, I…I just figured that we're close enough friends…not that we weren't before! But I never really thought about dropping it, and now that I think about it, it's, you know, not…necess— why're you laughing?"

"You," she giggles. "Seeing you so flustered over something so simple…that's the Naruto that I'm used to. For a moment there, I thought that you…you know, might…" she trails off, gesturing uselessly with her hand.

The spiky-haired blonde seems to understand what she's implying, for he chuckles weakly. "Haha, yeah, well…" He swirls the ramen broth in his bowl, looking for something to say. "Hinata told me she loves me," he blurts.

Ino finds it strange that Naruto doesn't grant her unfinished statement with an answer, but she chooses to accept the subject change without commenting, unsure if she wants to hear the actual response. "Took long enough."

"Wait, you knew?"

She rolls her eyes. "Of course I knew. Our entire class knew. When did she tell you?"

"When I was fighting Pein," he admits. "She told me she loved me, and then I thought Pein killed her, and then…I drew on the Kyūbi's power."

"I know…I felt it."

Naruto turns to look at her with sad eyes. "What do I do?"

"Well, do you have any feelings for Hinata?"

"No," he concedes, "and I feel bad that I don't. I mean, Hinata's a really nice girl, but…" he shrugs helplessly. "…Hey, is that why she always fainted around me?"

Ino stares at him for a moment before sighing. "You're absolutely hopeless. Just…tell her that you care about her, but not in the same way. She'll understand…I hope," she mutters.

"And that'll really work?"

"Well, it's not _exactly_ what a girl wants to hear, but it's probably your best bet. I think her infatuation with you will probably do the rest of the work."

"Okay. Thanks for the help, Ino."

"Anytime, Naruto."

-l-l-l-

Ino stands in one of the circles all the shinobi at the shore have carved in the terrain, waiting impatiently for Naruto's arrival. The past 24 hours have been a hectic mess of emotions, and her mental equilibrium is a bit unbalanced.

She and her teammates have sealed one of Hidden Cloud's legendary shinobi (and a pseudo-Jinchūriki to boot, giving her a good idea of why Naruto made her promise to stay away from him if he ever transformed), come face-to-face with their personal nightmare in the form of resurrected Akatsuki member Kakuzu, and been forced to fight against their deceased teacher Asuma. Not to mention the loss of life on the battlefield caused by the tenacity of the enemy. The blonde was quite worried when she found Tenten suffering from chakra exhaustion, and was sure not to let her fellow kunoichi anywhere near the Banana Palm Fan when she learned the reason behind it.

That, in combination with the tenuous White-Zetsu-infiltrating-the-Shinobi-Alliance-as-clones situation (which led to the sitting-in-circles situation), gives Ino plenty of time to focus on the whole reason they are at war in the first place.

Naruto. Somehow, everything always boils down to a scenario involving the spiky-haired blonde. Ino considers it a sign of how important he is, not just to her, but to everyone. After all, if Akatsuki gets its clutches on him, the entire world is essentially screwed.

Ino's busy trying to convince herself that she's merely _concerned_ for her fellow blonde – her best friend, her confidante – when he appears before the entire squad wearing a chakra cloak of yellow-white and orange-red. It's surely coincidence that he lands in the midst of the rough triangle she, Shikamaru, and Chōji are the vertices of, orange eyes – and she wonders why the strange chakra is changing the color – fixed upon her. "Sorry I'm late."

"It's fine," Shikamaru assures him. "We needed the break anyway."

"You'd take any excuse to slack off." The Nara shrugs, but there's a telling grin playing about his lips. Naruto's gaze returns to Ino. "I'm glad you guys are okay, though."

There's a brief lull where Ino doesn't know what to say; fortunately, Chōji decides to pipe up. "Hey Naruto, shouldn't you check for any imposters?"

"Hm? Oh, yeah. Everyone's clear here."

Shikamaru cracks his back and steps out of his circle. "Well, back to work, I suppose." He raises an eyebrow when Naruto remains where he is. "Shouldn't you be checking the other battlefields?"

"Other clones are handling it…I've got a minute."

Ino suddenly finds her voice; she moves forward so she's standing within Naruto's personal space. "I can't believe you were so stupid as to leave the island! Don't you know that we're all out here sacrificing ourselves to make sure that you stay safe?"

"Ino –"

"Honestly, don't you have any sense of self-preservation?"

Shikamaru snorts. "No."

Ino chooses to ignore him. She's on a bit of a tirade now, irritated at the lack of any real activity, at her inability to keep her friend safe when that's the entire purpose of the Shinobi Alliance, and it doesn't even matter that Naruto's newfound ability to detect evil intent is needed to rid the field of the White Zetsu imposters. "Sometimes you can just be so irresponsi–"

"I NEEDED TO MAKE SURE YOU WERE OKAY!" Ino's too stunned at the outburst to respond, so Naruto takes a breath and continues on. "When I found out what was happening, I knew that I couldn't let other people die on my behalf. I needed to know that you…that all of my precious people," he corrects, but it's added on so late that it sounds a bit like a cop out, "were still alive. If something happened to you –" and this time, Ino is under the distinct impression that he's talking directly to her, "— because of me, I just…I don't want to think about it. So I had to check. And I'm not going to apologize for it."

The platinum blonde remains silent for a long moment, trying to digest his words. Finally, she turns her head to the side, whipping him across the face with her ponytail, and crosses her arms. "Well, I'm fine. And now that you're out, you might as well make yourself useful."

"Don't worry, the real me's on his way to fight Madara right now. I'm gonna end this war!"

He leaps away – where to, Ino doesn't know – and she yells, "You better come back alive, you hear me?!" The clone waves an arm to indicate his receipt of the message before disappearing before the squad's eyes.

"…Way to save face," Shikamaru remarks dryly.

"Shut up." _Please come back alive, Naruto…_

-l-l-l-

Ino realizes belatedly that the line defining the separation between 'friends' and 'something more' has blurred.

It's early September, only a couple of weeks until her 18th birthday. Despite the cool autumn weather, the wind chill is tolerable, and Naruto's body leans slightly against hers for support. "'M fine," he assures her, trying to pull away.

Ino scoffs. "You can't walk straight. I'm not letting you try to get home on your own."

"But the gentleman's supposed to walk the lady home!" he protests half-heartedly.

"Since when have you been a gentleman?"

"…'M _fine_."

"You're drunk."

"Nuh-uh," he pouts childishly. "Ero-sennin made sure I knew my limit."

Ino sighs, but lets the argument drop, choosing not to point out the light slur of his speech or the slight flush to his cheeks. He deserves the night anyway. After years of being behind his peers, Naruto has finally been promoted to Chūnin. Of course, there was never any doubt in anyone's mind that he would eventually get the title, but between Akatsuki and Sasuke causing all sorts of problems (and the repercussions of stopping them), there was never any time to conduct a proper analysis of his skills. In commemoration of his achievement, his friends decided to get together and throw him a party.

Naruto was perhaps a little too enthusiastic with his promotion, downing several quick cups of alcohol (provided by Anko, who was a firm disbeliever in the drinking age) in his excitement.

The platinum blonde giggles to herself. Despite the joy at finally matching his graduating class in rank, Naruto seems unaware that several of his peers have recently advanced further. Shino and Lee are both Jōnin, while Kiba has attained the rank of Tokubetsu Jōnin; Shikamaru is Head of Intelligence and Tactics, and Ino herself is undergoing an apprenticeship in the Torture and Interrogation Forces.

Still, she supposes that she should allow the blonde to have his moment…for now. She readjusts their positions, carefully maneuvering her arm to support him under his armpits instead of around his shoulders. "You're too tall," she complains.

"Maybe you're too short," he returns childishly.

She punches him lightly with her free hand. "Jerk."

"Midget." She swings again, but he wriggles out of her grasp and twists nimbly away in a surprisingly dexterous movement. "Can't catch me!" he calls, running off-kilter down the street.

Ino growls and gives chase; even not completely sober, he's still faster than she is. "Stupid drunk!" she yells.

"'M not drunk!"

It takes 15 minutes before she catches up to him, stopped in front of a looming archway. "Gotcha!" she exclaims , sneaking up on him and slugging him violently. "That's for calling me a midget and making me chase you around town." He merely shrugs, and she looks up at the building, recognition shining in her baby blue orbs. "Hey, this is –"

"Your home," he answers simply. Indeed, Ino finds herself standing in front of the main entrance to the Yamanaka clan compound. "A gentleman always walks a lady home," he lectures, a cheesy grin decorating his features.

Ino rolls her eyes, but smiles regardless. He always seems to have that effect on her. "Thanks, Naruto."

The spiky-haired blonde nods and offers her his arm. She takes it with another roll of her eyes, allowing him to walk her into the compound and to her house. Ino steps up into the shadow of the door frame, spinning around to face her fellow blonde. "I'm taller," she asserts, standing on the single step and bringing her total height to just above his.

Naruto chuckles; to Ino, the sound is deep and soothing in its familiarity. "If you say so, Ino."

"Say it!" she demands, stomping down with one foot like a stubborn child.

The teen steps forward, bringing the two friends closer together. He raises his left hand and brings it up to slowly brush Ino's fringe of hair out of her eye, placing it behind her ear; half of it escapes and partially covers her eye again. With the light of the moon shining down, she notices just how good looking her best friend is, the bangs of his messy, bright yellow hair – unrestrained by his usual forehead protector –falling into his eyes and giving him a strangely sexy quality she's never paid attention to before. "You're beautiful," he says instead, voice soft. Her breath hitches in her throat; she can sense that the situation is different from every other time they've shared a moment like this.

"You're drunk," she whispers, attempting to explain this strange behavior.

"Nuh-uh," he replies just as quietly, the corner of his mouth hitching upward in a small, gentle smile. The previous flush of red in his cheeks is gone.

He kisses her then, his hands finding her waist and gently resting there. Caught in the moment, her hands move up to encircle his neck of their own accord, and Ino finds that a pleasant shiver runs down her spine at this previously forbidden contact. The sensations that she feels are so raw, so unbelievably amazing, that she wonders why they've never tried something like this before.

_Because you're best friends_, niggles a voice in the back of her mind, and she begs the voice to be silent for just a little longer because this feels _so good._

Naruto breaks off the kiss all too soon, and Ino stares him in his crystal blue eyes, finding so much – joy, fear, uncertainty, a dozen other unnamed emotions – reflected in those windows to his soul. He offers her another soft smile, a brief upward quirk of his lips, before he's gone, and Ino's left standing at the entrance of her house all alone.

Ino touches her fingers to her lips, thinking that she can still feel them tingling from the sensation of Naruto's own. "Now what?" she asks aloud.

She notices morbidly that there's no answer.


	4. Crossing the Line

"All love that has not friendship for its base is like a mansion built upon the sand."

_- Ella Wheeler Wilcox_

"Ino!"

The blonde rushes down the stairs and into the kitchen. "Yeah?"

Yamanaka Keiko turns around from preparing Ino's birthday dinner to look at her daughter. "Did you invite Naruto-kun over for dinner tonight?"

"I, uh…"

The older female places her hands on her hips and fixes Ino with a reprimanding look. "Yamanaka Ino, I haven't seen that boy in two weeks. If he's not here for your birthday tonight, I'll be severely disappointed. How do I know if he's eating well or not?"

"It's Naruto, all he does is eat." When that answer doesn't have the desired effect of placating her mother, Ino sighs. "Okay, I'll…go let him know." Her mother gives an approving nod before turning around to continue preparing that evening's meal.

Ino finds that, as convenient as it would be to blame her mother for Naruto's lack of invitation to dinner, it's really her own inadequacy which has prevented her from communicating such information to her best friend. In truth, she has been studiously avoiding her fellow blonde (and if his distinct lack of presence is any indication, the reverse also seems likely) ever since the night of his promotion to Chūnin. She still doesn't really know how to deal with him kissing her.

The blonde arrives at Naruto's apartment with a hastily written note in hand telling him to come to dinner, determined to put off facing him for as long as possible. She raps on his door and then slips the piece of paper underneath before Naruto can open it. Then Ino quickly departs for home as a thick knot of tension coils in her stomach.

Several hours later, Inoichi opens the door of the Yamanaka household to grant Naruto entrance. The two men shake hands before the younger male moves into the kitchen at Keiko's prompting of, "Is that Naruto-kun?"

"Evening Keiko-san," he returns with a grin, allowing the older woman to embrace him.

Keiko holds him at arm's length to get a better look at him. "Oh dear, you don't look so good. Have you been taking care of yourself?"

Naruto shoots Inoichi – who has followed him in – a look, to which the Yamanaka Clan Head shrugs and rolls his eyes, as if to say he should be used to such treatment by now. "Of course," he replies, and his voice changes to the upbeat tone he used when he was younger. "As a future Hokage, I have to know how to stay in peak health!"

A restrained snort catches everyone's attention. Ino has come down the stairs, wearing white Capri pants and a pale orange shirt with a V-cut at the neck held together by a simple cross-stitch. Naruto moves toward her and bends down to give her a friendly peck on the cheek. "Happy birthday, Ino."

She tries to restrain the blush that crosses her fair features. "Ah, thanks, Naruto."

Keiko claps her hands together, breaking the strange stillness that has befallen the kitchen. "Time to eat!"

Dinner is a bit of an awkward affair for Ino. The platinum blonde avoids making direct eye contact with her best friend, allowing her mother to attract his attention while her father's eyes flit perceptively between the two teenagers. Ino is uncomfortable with the scrutiny, but only because she is worried about what Inoichi might do to Naruto if he figures out what's going on between them.

_Not that there's anything between us!_

When the meal ends, Naruto asks if Ino will accompany him home so that he can give her her birthday gift. Keiko shoos them out, wrangling Inoichi into helping her with the dishes so Ino can leave with Naruto.

Their walk is silent for a number of minutes, Naruto striding along with his hands in his pockets while Ino twiddles her fingers nervously behind her back. "You've been avoiding me," he notes, somewhat amused.

"What did you expect?" she hisses in a mixture of embarrassment and anger. "You _kissed_ me!" Naruto chuckles while scratching the back of his head with one hand. "It's not funny!" she insists. The temptation to stomp her foot childishly like she did on _that night_ is strong, but she tamps down on it. Very quietly, as if unsure whether she should actually ask it, Ino continues, "Why did you do it? What were you _thinking_?"

Naruto shrugs in a careless fashion, and Ino resists the urge to punch him. "It felt like the right thing to do," he responds. "You're very pretty."

"_You're very pretty, Ino-chan," a thirteen-year-old Naruto says as they walk back from the mission engaging Princess Fuku to Daimyō Chikara._

Ino shakes her head to rid herself of the memory. "That's completely beside the point!"

"It _is_ the point," he insists. "Haven't you ever thought about me in that fashion?"

"NO!" she shrieks impulsively.

"Ouch," jokes the male blonde.

"I-I didn't mean it like that," Ino backtracks, realizing how defensive she sounds. "I just…first you were interested in Sakura…then Hinata told you that she loved you... And you're my best friend," she tries, feeling like she's grappling desperately for excuses. Quietly, she repeats, "I've just never thought about you like that."

Naruto moves so he's in front of her, and Ino realizes that they've reached his building. "Let's say I believe that...what about now?"

Ino grasps for words that don't seem to exist. "I…"

The taller blonde is staring at her as if she's an interesting curio. Dressed in her everyday clothes, nervously biting her lip and her one eye obscured by her bangs, Ino looks much more vulnerable than she really is. He reaches out to grab the end of her ponytail and tugs it gently so that Ino's eyes are aligned with his, though they're averted. "Hey," he coaxes, and the unspoken _'look at me'_ forces baby blue to meet crystal blue. "I don't know what this is, but it's different from how I felt for Sakura when we were younger." He inches forward just a little, so that his intention is obvious enough that Ino has time to reject it if she so desires. "I'm willing to give this a try if you are."

Closer. "And if you just want to be friends, I'm okay with that, too. We'll just…forget this whole thing ever happened."

Closer. "So…what do you want, Ino?"

Ino stands motionless, mind spinning. Having Naruto so close and acting so serious and proposing such a wild idea is making it extremely difficult to think properly. Finding nothing but patience and care reflected in his blue eyes, and remembering back to the kiss two weeks ago, Ino decides that maybe it won't be so bad to date her best friend. She nods imperceptibly, but doesn't move; Naruto takes the initiative and kisses her softly, just so she's aware of how tentative he is with this new development in their relationship as well.

The taller teen breaks off after several moments, but leans forward to whisper in her ear, "Happy birthday, Ino," and kiss her on the cheek just as he has done earlier.

It's only after he's been gone for several minutes that Ino realizes Naruto never _actually_ gave her a birthday present.

_But then again,_ she thinks, a pleased smile crawling across her lips, _maybe he did._

-l-l-l-

Ino's hands shake slightly as she ties the white _obi_ around her deep violet yukata; despite being October, it's too warm for a full-on kimono, and the blonde's hope is that the more summery outfit will provide more breathing room during the annual Kyūbi-vanquishing festival.

More importantly, and nerve-wracking, is that tonight is her first date with Naruto.

It would've been earlier, but first her team, and then his team, were assigned week-long missions which took up the time between their birthdays. Ino doesn't begrudge the extra time; it actually feels quite appropriate to have their first date be at the same place they first truly spent time together. That doesn't change the fact that Ino still feels tonight can either make or break their relationship, platonic or otherwise.

She jumps slightly when a voice calls her name, whirling around to find her father standing in the doorway. Inoichi looks momentarily surprised at catching her off-guard, but then steps into the room with a chuckle. "I don't think I've ever seen you so nervous for a date before," he comments.

"I'm not nervous," she denies. When the older Yamanaka shoots her a disbelieving look, Ino deflates slightly. "Okay, maybe I'm a little nervous. But…it's _Naruto_. Did you ever think we would go out?"

"Yes," Inoichi deadpans. "In fact, I owe Shikaku money for getting the timing wrong –"

"DAD!"

"Hm? Oh, right. Look Ino, Naruto likes you for you. Just pretend that this is any other night."

"But it's not."

Her father shakes his head. "That's not the point. Don't think about what could happen or where this might lead. Just go along with it, and let yourself have a good time. You're best friends, you're together all the time…just let yourself have fun. Naruto's a good kid; I don't think you'll have any problems. You might end up finding everything you've ever wanted."

"…Okay, Dad." She smiles at him gratefully. "Thanks."

A knock on the front door echoes upstairs, causing father and daughter to look towards Ino's open doorway. "I'll go get that," Inoichi says, exiting his daughter's room. Before he heads out, he looks back at her and asks, "Can I give him The Speech?"

"You just said that Naruto was a good kid…"

"I know," shrugs the older blonde, "but it's tradition to threaten bodily harm to your dates regardless of how much I like them." He heads down the stairs at Ino's exasperated sigh, calling back up to her, "That wasn't a 'no'!"

She rushes through finishing getting ready, unsure if her father is serious about intimidating Naruto. When she arrives downstairs, they seem to be getting along well enough, and Ino takes a moment to admire Naruto, dressed in a light grey yukata with an orange _obi_. Inoichi notices her presence first, for he nods his head in her direction and says, "Have fun. And don't forget what we talked about."

Ino isn't sure whether he's talking to her or Naruto.

The platinum blonde drags Naruto out the door before Inoichi can say anything else, and it takes several blocks for her to slow down and realize that they're walking arm-in-arm. "Er, sorry about that," she offers. "You know how Dad can get…"

"All too well," he chuckles. "Really, it wasn't as bad as you probably think."

"I don't –"

"You look beautiful tonight," he continues. "I didn't get to tell you before, given how quickly we left," he jabs teasingly.

Naruto's looking at her with that same expression he's worn the previous times he kissed her, and Ino isn't sure how to respond. Remembering her father's words, she mock-pouts, "So I'm not beautiful every other night?"

The spiky-haired blonde holds up his hands in playful surrender. "You're right, I'm sorry. You just stand out especially so tonight."

Ino flushes a little at the compliment, unused to her friend acting so…flirtatious. "So…what's the plan?"

Naruto shrugs. "No real plan. I just figured we could go to the festival together, do whatever comes to mind. Anything you're particularly interested in?"

"Nope." She smiles at him. "Let's just enjoy ourselves."

They enter the festival – which Naruto _almost_ feels bad for attending, given his changed relationship with the Kyūbi – and start walking around, taking in the sights and games. Naruto buys Ino a small bowl of pudding, as well as several sticks of dango for himself, while they wander around, and the female blonde points out a reenactment of her date's defeat of Pein. "I think they're celebrating the wrong thing," he laughs.

"Maybe not. It _is_ your birthday today," she points out. "That's as good a time as any to celebrate the Hero of Konoha's defeat over Akatsuki's leader." Naruto rolls his eyes at the title he's been bestowed, but says nothing else.

The rest of the night passes by in much the same relaxed atmosphere. They laugh at the image of an exasperated Sakura accompanying Sai, smile at an eating contest Kiba challenges Chōji to (with a bored Shikamaru serving as referee), and watch with amusement as Tenten drags Neji away from overseeing Hinata to play games, Lee following the duo (and shouting challenges to the Hyūga) while Shino escorts his female teammate around the festival. All-in-all, it feels like every other night spent in each other's company.

Ino mulls over that revelation as Naruto walks her home around midnight. The taller blonde reaches for her hand, brushes it with the pads of his fingers, but doesn't grasp it. It's the first time he's shown any form of hesitancy with regard to their potential relationship, and Ino finds herself a bit relieved because of it. "Did you have fun tonight?" he asks.

"Yeah," she smiles. "Thanks for being my date."

"Back at you."

In the silence that follows, Ino reaches out and grabs her fellow blonde's hand, lacing their fingers together. She can tell the action startles him by the way his head swivels towards her, but it only lasts a moment before he squeezes her hand in response. When they reach the entrance to the Yamanaka compound, Ino unclasps their hands and maneuvers herself to face him. "So…" she begins.

"So?" he echoes when she doesn't continue.

"If…_this_," she gestures between them, "is something you want to continue, then…I'm willing to go for it."

Naruto's face brightens. "Really?"

"Yeah, really. This could be really great, and…we should do it." She takes a deep breath and then takes a step forward. Naruto watches her with an expression that's part curiosity, part excitement.

For the first time, Ino embraces her usual confidence and initiates the kiss. "Happy birthday, Naruto."

-l-l-l-

"Wh-what?"

Ino looks down, averting her eyes shyly. She has ruminated on her feelings for two days, trying to work out exactly where her emotions lie. Debates on how good an idea it is to tell him have bounced around in her mind, predicting how he is likely to react. In the end, she realizes that it's Naruto she's involved with, someone who will accept whatever she says no matter what, and it is this conclusion that spurs her forward with her decision.

She looks up at him through her bangs, waiting until she can again speak confidently. "I love you, Naruto," she says with more boldness than she feels.

Naruto's crystal blue eyes widen marginally, his mouth opening and closing like that of a landed fish. Seconds feel like hours, and Ino feels a strange chill seeping into her body. _Why isn't he saying anything? Why doesn't he tell me he loves me, too?_ The beginning of tears prickles at her eyes, and she blinks rapidly to get rid of them. _Don't cry,_ she thinks, _don't you _dare _cry in front of him, Yamanaka – _

"I…" Naruto swallows thickly, "gotta go." He disappears quicker than she can track, and Ino feels her resolve – and something much more fragile – break. She falls to her knees and covers her face with her hands as the first salty drops escape.

Some time later, Shikamaru steps out from the shadows of the Fourth Hokage's carved visage upon the Hokage Monument, hands buried deep in his pockets. Sitting with his knees held to his chest is Naruto, staring at the sunset over the treetops of Konoha's forest. "I spoke with Ino," Shikamaru says, not mentioning how he found her in Naruto's home. The blonde flinches, not in surprise at the additional presence, but at the slight edge in his friend's tone.

Almost a minute passes in absolute silence before Naruto whispers, "She told me she loves me…" Confusion and, more surprisingly, sorrow lace his words.

Shikamaru sighs. "Troublesome," he mutters, voice returning to its normal, dry tone. It's difficult to stay upset with the other boy when he appears as lost and pitiful as an orphaned puppy. The shadow-user moves to sit beside Naruto. "I don't really understand what the problem is. You've been dating for a couple months now. Shouldn't this be a natural progression of your relationship?"

"I don't…" he begins, but then stops, shakes his head, and says quietly, "I didn't think anyone could love me…I mean, that one time with Hinata took me by surprise –"

"Do you really believe that?" Shikamaru interrupts. Naruto opens his mouth to speak, but the Nara cuts across him again. "The Yamanakas took you in when you were 10. Every time Inoichi-oji-san and Keiko-oba-san come over, they can't stop talking to my parents about you like you're their biological son. It's almost annoying how proud of you they are. And what about Jiraiya-sama, who took you under his wing, or Tsunade-sama, who sees you like the grandson she never had?

"How about your friends, the people you've sworn to protect with your life? Do you think we don't care about you, that we don't grow stronger so you don't have to bear that burden? Can you honestly say you never thought you'd be loved? I know you're not that stupid."

Naruto remains quiet for a long time following Shikamaru's diatribe, thinking back on moments spent with the people his friend has mentioned. "You're right," he finally admits, "I guess I just never thought of those relationships that way before…they were always just precious people that I needed to protect. I didn't consider how everyone felt about me..."

"Clearly."

A wry chuckle escapes Naruto's mouth at the blunt honesty, but then he turns pensive. "But it's different with Ino. I feel like…if anything happened to her, I wouldn't know what to do…like I wouldn't feel complete..." the blonde trails off, allowing the heartfelt statement to linger. "Is that what that kind of love is...?" he wonders, lapsing into silence. As the last vestiges of the sun's rays disappear, Shikamaru stands up and cracks his back, moving to the shadows of the Hokage Monument. "Hey, where're you going?" Naruto calls.

"Home," responds the dark-haired teen with a lazy wave. "You have your answer. Just remember that if you ever hurt her again, Chōji and I will come after you, and Hero of Konoha or not, we'll beat the shit out of you," he warns, and then he's gone. Naruto gives a half-smile before rising to his feet and disappearing.

He reappears in front of his own abode. The door is closed and he hears nothing from inside, but given that he lives in a shinobi village, that never means anything. Feeling somewhat foolish, he raps on the door; despite it being his home, he doesn't feel right intruding on Ino's solitude, assuming she's still there.

"Go away!" she shouts, and something heavy and unsettling drops into his stomach; he can't tell if she's more upset or angry (or some part both), but he knows he's the cause of her distress, and the knowledge is like a lead weight.

Naruto fishes for his key and inserts it into the lock, opening the door and stepping across the threshold. Instincts scream at him to move, and he twists nimbly, shutting the door behind him in the same movement. There are multiple thuds behind him, and Naruto peeks at the wall to find four of his kunai embedded in it. "Ino –"

"Just…don't talk right now, Naruto. I don't want to listen to whatever it is you want to say." Her voice is devoid of emotion, and Naruto thinks that the kunai piercing his heart would have hurt less than this.

Still, he falls silent at her command, not because she's necessarily intimidating, but because exacerbating the situation by disobeying is the last thing he wants to do. Slowly, he steps forward, taking care to make his movements measured and deliberate until he's within Ino's personal space. Wary – because experience has taught him that little is more dangerous than an upset kunoichi – he gently pulls his girlfriend into his arms and holds her there. "I'm sorry," he whispers in her ear, deciding that now is a good time to talk. "I didn't think I would ever know what it felt like to love someone. But someone reminded me that I have friends who care about me, a family who looks after me…_you_…and I realized that I'll never have to worry about that."

Ino sniffles against his chest. "Didn't you think that you'd love someone at some point? People don't become involved in relationships if they don't think they can fall in love."

"You assume that I think that far ahead," he jokes. A weak snort is the only response he receives, and he knows that he's at least earned a little of her forgiveness. Feeling brave, he creates a little space between them. "Ino?"

She tilts her head up slightly to meet his gaze. "Hm?"

"I love you, too."

-l-l-l-

"What's up, Granny?"

Tsunade glares at him. "You could stand to have a bit more respect for your superiors, brat." Naruto shrugs unconcernedly, and the blonde woman resists the urge to rub her temples. Straightening her back to appear more professional, she laces her fingers together and says, "Uzumaki Naruto. Taking into consideration your mission history, battlefield achievements, and collection of skills – politicking abilities notwithstanding – it has been decided that you are fit for greater responsibilities." The Sannin smiles at him. "It is with great pride that I bestow upon you the title of Jōnin."

Naruto's face lights up. "Really? You mean it?"

The Slug Sannin rolls her eyes. "I wouldn't say it if I didn't mean it, brat." She waits patiently while Naruto has a small victory celebration in her office, wanting to let him get it out of his system before she continues with her news. In all honesty, even given the fact that Naruto was only promoted to Chūnin six months prior, the Jōnin title is a long-time coming; making it official has been the most time-consuming aspect of the whole thing, especially amidst Konoha's rebuilding.

Tsunade clears her throat when Naruto doesn't show any signs of stopping. "There's more." The spiky-haired blonde returns his attention to his grandmother-figure, though a wide grin never leaves his face. "Now that you've reached the rank of Jōnin, you're legally allowed to claim the possessions of your father."

"The Yondaime's things?"

The busty blonde nods. "Yes. Unfortunately, most of what was in storage for you was lost when Akatsuki destroyed the village."

"Ah…" Naruto looks suddenly downcast, and Tsunade feels a pang of guilt for bringing up the subject. Being the last descendant of the Senju clan, she understands well exactly how important it is to have something tangible to remember family by, more so if the family has never been known.

"However," she continues, "I did manage to find something. Your parents had a house…one which they were planning on raising you in. It's not exactly the same one, but as all the buildings were reconstructed in the same neighborhoods and the deed to the house is still in the Yondaime's name, it passes down to you."

"I…I have a house?"

"Only if you want it." Naruto whoops excitedly and jumps over the desk to hug Tsunade. "Alright, brat," she laughs, maneuvering her arm out of his grip to set the key on the desk, "that's enough of that. Now get out of here, I've got work to do."

"Thanks Granny!"

Almost an hour later, Naruto is walking down the street at a fast clip, Ino trailing just a step behind him. "Naruto, where are we going?"

"You'll see!"

"Naruto," she says, exasperated, "you dragged me away from the shop to go on this wild goose chase. It doesn't even seem like you know where you're going. Some of us have other jobs, you know."

"Heheh, sorry Ino. I'm just really excited, that's all. And we're almost there. Just be patient."

Ino crosses her arms and huffs, but stops her grousing. Several minutes later, the pair arrives at a residential section of the village comprised of various single-story houses. Naruto walks up to one and inserts a key in the lock, prompting Ino to raise an eyebrow in confusion. He walks through the door and beckons to his girlfriend to follow him in.

Naruto ventures through the house, staring around in silent awe while the other blonde observes him and her surroundings with a careful eye. The home appears quaint, with the main room connected directly to the kitchen by a large opening framed by two protective walls, and three other doorways leading to a bedroom, bathroom, and what Ino assumes to be a guest room. "Naruto," she starts when he surfaces from exploring the bedroom, "what is this?"

"This is…_was_ my father's house."

Ino is surprised by this. "The Fourth's? Really?"

"Kinda. I mean, the original house was destroyed when Pein invaded the village, but when everything was rebuilt, this is the one that replaced where Dad's house used to be…and it's mine now. According to Tsunade-baa-chan, anyway," he adds. When Naruto wanders into the guest room, Ino follows him in and stands in the doorway as he slowly paces the empty room. "I wonder…" he says quietly, "if this is where Mom and Dad were going to raise me…"

Ino watches him lift a hand and run it along the rail of an imaginary crib. There's an expression on his face that she's seen before, whenever he gets to thinking about the family he has never really known.

The Yamanaka clears her throat after a bout of silence. "So, are you going to stay here?"

"Yeah…I think they would like that." He turns suddenly to look at her, and she's momentarily struck by exactly how alike to the Fourth Hokage he looks. It's almost as if the spirit of Namikaze Minato is settling back into his old home. "Move in with me!"

Baby blue eyes widen in mild surprise. "Wh-what?"

"Let's live together," he proposes in a more normal voice, though his eyes are vibrant with energy. "You can finally move away from the Yamanaka complex, and we can be just like my parents were. Isn't this part of the whole, uh…" he squints, trying to remember something he was told, "natural progression of a relationship?"

"That doesn't sound like you."

"…Some of the stuff Shikamaru says sticks," he admits. "But that's not really the point. What do you say…will you do it?"

Ino considers the idea. She admits that it will be nice to finally get away from her parents, and being around Naruto on a more permanent basis like when they were children is a pleasant notion. Her imagination dives into what it might have been like for Uzumaki Kushina and Namikaze Minato almost 20 years before, and suddenly the images of herself and Naruto overlap those of his parents. It takes a lot of focus to not wonder what it will be like for her and Naruto to raise a child in the spare bedroom. _I'm clearly getting a little too far ahead of myself._

Naruto is staring at her expectantly but patiently when she comes out of her reverie. "Okay," she says, "let's do it."

-l-l-l-

Naruto opens the door to their home, face unusually stoic. It's the distinct lack of expression that sets off alarms to Ino. She's known her fellow blonde for so long that seeing him looking so bland and emotionless is frightening. There's hesitance in her posture as she reaches out with one hand, pantomiming a needy grab. "Naruto?" she asks, worry clearly lacing her tone.

He sighs heavily, trying to release the weight burdening his shoulders. "I've…been assigned to ANBU," he explains wearily. "According to Tsunade-baa-chan, being in ANBU is part of the test to see if I'm ready to become Hokage…something about 'understanding the sacrifices of your soldiers'. I just passed my initiation."

Ino suddenly becomes aware that he's dressed in the typical ANBU garb: black pants, skin-tight black shirt, and the protective armor top; the long black gloves and metallic forearm guards, as well as his mask, are hanging from a belt. In contrast, she's merely wearing one of Naruto's t-shirts and a pair of his boxers.

She's suddenly – and inexplicably, as she wears his clothes all the time – embarrassed at her state of dress.

Naruto moves a little closer to her. Ino's face is frozen in a mixture of shock (at the situation) and fright (for his well-being), but when he speaks his tone is soft, as if he's comforting an injured animal. "Ino, are you okay with this? I mean, I can always go tell Granny that –"

"No," she responds, not even letting him complete the thought. His dream is – always has been – to become Hokage, and despite her nervousness about her boyfriend's new position, she knows that she needs to be supportive of this opportunity.

Whether she fully agrees with it or not.

"You'll be careful, right?"

A shadow of his normal grin crosses Naruto's features. "Of course!" He falls silent as her eyes find his bare left shoulder, drawn almost magnetically to the spot. The standard ANBU tattoo – a design of swirls inked in red, signifying his allegiance to the Hokage – is alluring, almost hypnotic. Ino is transfixed by the sight of it.

"I-Ino?" Naruto seems unsure of this new development in his girlfriend, watching intently as she slowly approaches him. She raises her index finger and places it upon the tip of the tattoo symbol. As she gently traces the full design, Naruto shivers, the action one of a remembered pain rather than tenderness from the new addition to his skin. Ino replaces her finger with her lips, letting them merely linger in a soft kiss on his shoulder.

The gesture is somehow innocent and sensual all at once, and Naruto allows his eyes to close in contentment.

A strange humming emerges unbidden from his throat, and Naruto attaches his lips to a suddenly tantalizing spot on Ino's neck. She moans at the contact, and the male blonde's hands crawl underneath her shirt.

They've never gone this far before, but neither can explain why because the feelings the ministrations elicit are raw and amazing.

Ino squeaks as her beau picks her up bridal style and carries her to their room. Their pulses race and their bodies react to the sensations of one another as the minutes tick by. Both are approaching 20 and in the prime of their careers, young and caught up in each other…

Yet neither has experience in this uncharted territory. Despite traveling with Jiraiya, the self-proclaimed super pervert, Naruto has been almost completely oblivious to the allure of women and too nervous to move fast with Ino and ruin things. On the other side, Ino knows the seriousness of such an act, the emotional attachment associated with it, and she's been too fearful of drawing out the same reaction as when she told Naruto she loved him.

In the moment, none of those insecurities cross either of their minds.

The night is fulfilling, if not awkward and slightly clumsy, their inexperience clear. Both are driven by instinct, by tugs of consciousness demanding 'do this' and 'do that'. There is a strange satisfaction and emotional significance to the mutual loss of virginity, but, trapped in the act of consummation, it is thrown to the wayside and ignored.

Ino ponders the tumultuous thoughts crashing in her mind as she basks in her afterglow. She peers at Naruto as he sleeps, an easy and content – though she blushes to think of the cause – smile on his features. Her cheeks get even rosier as she considers the other blonde's body, an ideal sculpture of musculature built within the confines of a lithe, youthful form. He seems the perfect specimen of a man both physically and mentally, gentle and caring in both word and deed.

As Naruto rolls over, his arm falls across her petite waist, causing a warmth to course through her. He instinctively pulls her closer, their nude bodies pressing flush together. Ino realizes that the line she's associated with their friendship – formed, blurred, teetered on the edge of – is suddenly far behind them, crossed well beyond any point of return. The idea of her and Naruto becoming so entwined in such a fashion is scary, unexpected, nerve-wracking…

Ino snuggles deeper into Naruto's embrace and grins. She's looking forward to it.

-l-l-l-

Naruto returns home from training, tired and in desperate need of a shower. The house is a little quiet, but it's early in the afternoon and Ino's schedule normally keeps her out for another couple of hours. He slips into the bedroom and grabs a clean uniform to change into, but an unusual odor catches his attention. A frown mars his features as he tries to place the scent, and it's only as he checks the area between the bed and the far wall that he recognizes the metallic smell as blood. Blue eyes widen in horror at the sight that greets him. "_Ino!_"

Ino is lying on the floor in a small pool of blood, her normally fair features pale and face streaked with sweat. Naruto is immediately by her side, and when he takes her into his arms, her skin is clammy to the touch. His Nine-Tails Chakra Cloak springs to life, and in a flash, the house is empty.

The blonde reappears in the Hokage's office, his sudden appearance startling both Tsunade and Shizune. "What –" Tsunade begins.

"_GRANNY!_" he bellows, "You've gotta help Ino! Something's wrong with her, there was blood all over the floor, and, and…"

Tsunade immediately enters medic-mode. "Shizune, cancel any appointments I have," she orders. "Naruto, go to the hospital; I'll meet you there. NOW!" she yells when he continues to stand motionless, lost. The younger blonde leaves in a flash of chakra, and when Tsunade Body Flickers to the hospital, he's standing in the atrium with a panicked expression on his face. "I need an operating room," she snaps at the nurse.

"R-right away, Tsunade-sama!"

"Naruto, drop the cloak and follow me." He obeys both directives, mainly because of the authority in the Hokage's voice, his body moving on autopilot behind her. They arrive at an operating room in short order, and Tsunade takes Ino from Naruto's arms. "Stay here," she commands before hurrying through the doors.

Naruto waits in a chair outside the operating room, twiddling his fingers in a fit of nervousness. Tsunade has been working on his girlfriend for what feels like days, even though it's only been a number of hours, and Naruto's mind has been a blank buzz of static. He's only recently thought to send out a shadow clone to the Yamanakas, and its dispelling indicates that Keiko is on her way to the hospital; Inoichi is out of the village, which the blonde finds fortunate for his own physical health. There's no telling what the Yamanaka Clan Head will do upon discovering his daughter's status.

For that matter, the Jinchūriki has absolutely no idea what's wrong with his girlfriend. The amount of blood leaking from her body was startling, but the fact that there were no visible injuries was more worrying, as it meant that there was nothing he could do to help.

And more than anything, Naruto hates to feel useless.

Tsunade steps through the doors of the operating room at that moment and stands before Naruto, who jumps to his feet, face painted with anxiety. "Ino had an ectopic pregnancy," Tsunade tells him.

"A…a what?" His ears catch on one word. "She was pregnant?"

"Yes." The Hokage takes a seat in Naruto's abandoned chair before explaining, "An ectopic pregnancy is one where the embryo implants somewhere other than the uterus." Naruto's expression of mixed confusion and panic doesn't change, and Tsunade comes to the conclusion that the medical jargon is a bit too much for him. "The baby was growing in the wrong spot. It caused internal bleeding and put her in a state of hypovole– shock," she says instead.

"Is she okay?"

"I removed the embryo and gave her a blood transfusion to restore what she lost." The older blonde offers Naruto a wan smile. "You saved her."

Naruto releases a breath he doesn't know he's been holding. "Thank goodness…I made it in time."

"Well, yes, but _you_ actually saved her." When Naruto still doesn't get what she's saying, Tsunade elaborates, "You and Ino are the same blood type. The blood we used for the transfusion was blood _you_ donated. It's a good thing Ino convinced you to give, isn't it?"

The blonde wipes the beginning of tears from his eyes. "Yeah…"

Then Tsunade sighs. "Naruto…I fixed the physiological issues, but…these types of traumatic incidences aren't without other repercussions."

"What do you mean? Can…can Ino not get pregnant again?"

"Infertility is always a possibility, but the likelihood of that is low. The problem is that there might be some psychological damage related to conceiving again. Your relationship with Ino might be different for a little while."

Naruto nods slowly. "But…it'll get better, right?" Tsunade remains silent. "Right…?" he tries again, weakly.

"Only time will tell." Naruto staggers and slumps against the wall, just as Yamanaka Keiko bustles down the hallway. "I'm going to move Ino into a recovery room now. You're both welcome to visit."

She stands up, turns, and walks away, so she doesn't have to see the boy she thinks of as a grandson collapse into Keiko's arms and sob like a child.

-l-l-l-

"I'm going to ask her to marry me."

Mantis, Dragon, and Falcon all raise their heads to look at Boar, the firelight amongst them highlighting the markings on their porcelain ANBU masks. Boar wishes for a moment that he can see his friends' expressions, but even though their mission has been completed early and they're deep within the Land of Fire, protocol dictates that they must keep their identities hidden. He finds it a bit stupid, given that they all know who the others are, but he also understands the mechanisms of ANBU, and that secrecy is highly important, especially in the field.

It's why the conversation he's trying to have will contain only vague references to people and situations.

"Congratulations," Dragon offers.

"It is quite a large commitment," advises Falcon. "Are you sure you're ready? More importantly, is she ready?"

"I think so…"

"So she has recovered from the…incident?"

Boar is quiet for a long moment. Truthfully, the time following the ectopic pregnancy has been rough on both him and his significant other. Her desire for intimacy dropped for several months, and he often waffled between accepting missions and staying in Konoha to watch over her, only leaving after she reminded him that his team was counting on him. The normally outspoken and confident woman he knew was replaced by a more reserved, introspective individual who he wasn't sure how to act around. Living together was hard for a period following the pregnancy, with neither person sure of how to approach the other.

Eventually, the woman's normal personality began to shine through, and every day, Boar finds another piece of his girlfriend rising to the surface. It gives him hope that their relationship will fully return to its status quo very soon. He nods at Falcon. "She's strong; things are getting better little by little."

"That is good to hear," speaks Mantis, "but I do not believe you have addressed the underlying issue...by which I mean the subject of future generations."

"…You mean kids?" Boar interprets.

"Correct. Why is that important? Because she is from a clan, and thus a line of succession is expected."

Dragon snorts, though the sound is muffled by her mask and the sound of her whetstone sharpening one of her kusarigama. "Damn clan politics."

Mantis spares her a blank glance – even through the mask, Boar knows _exactly_ what his expression is – before turning back to continue his conversation. "They exist regardless of any personal feelings on the matter, so it is important to be aware of them. It is one of the reasons why meddling in the romantic lives of others is inadvisable."

Boar winces. Before the pregnancy mishap occurred, he had the thought that Mantis was a bit lonely, especially since the bug-masked ANBU was on a team with people in relationships. Confiding such information in his girlfriend resulted in her suggesting a double date, setting Mantis up with his female former teammate. While it went well, Mantis assured Boar afterwards that such a pairing was 'unlikely to have the desired outcome', though he did thank Boar for his concern regarding his personal life. "I said I was sorry about that," he mutters. "You don't think that I'll be prevented from marrying her, do you?"

"Unlikely," says Falcon. "Her clan is hardly as strict in regulating unions as, say, the Hyūga, and even someone like Neji was afforded some modicum of leniency with whom he chose for partnership, despite his standing and reputation."

"Plus you've been on good terms with her family for a long time," Dragon adds.

"This is all true," Mantis points out, "but not my point. I am merely trying to prepare you for an obstacle you might be unaware of. As I said, there are certain expectations placed upon specific members of a clan." He pauses and then turns so the gaze of his porcelain mask is fixed on Falcon. "I admit, I am surprised that someone of Neji's position hasn't yet been required to provide the Hyūga with progeny."

Boar smothers his laughter with a cough at the imperceptible reactions of both Falcon and Dragon at Mantis' gibe. His imagination conjures an image of the face behind Falcon's mask rendered speechless out of its normal stoicism, and he again restrains a snort of amusement. Falcon clears his throat. "Yes, well, I've _heard_ that Neji is on a bit of a time constraint in that regard."

"_What?_" Dragon growls dangerously. She suddenly has a wakizashi pointed at Falcon's chest. "And do you happen to know when Neji was going to inform _his wife_ about this requirement?"

"Something tells me they'll have a conversation as soon as he returns from his mission," Boar comments, bemused. Dragon and Falcon turn to him, and Boar can feel the glares they shoot him through their masks. He holds his hands up in a placating gesture. "Not that it's any of _our_ business."

"It is merely food for thought," Mantis concludes, ignoring the suddenly tense atmosphere.

Boar considers the words of his teammates all the way home the next morning. He feels that it's perhaps still too early to bring up the subject of children, regardless of what her clan expects, but he also now understands a bit more of what he has to look forward to in the future.

None of that really matters, however, for when Boar returns home and removes his mask, Uzumaki Naruto kneels before Yamanaka Ino and asks her to marry him, and her response is an emphatic 'Yes!'

As they embrace, Naruto realizes how wily Tsunade is for assigning him the boar mask, and wonders how she knew he and Ino would get to this point.

-l-l-l-

Naruto stands before Tsunade in a black kimono, black _haori_, and grey _hakama_, fidgeting. Part of it is simply because of the weight of the clothes he's dressed in – and he briefly admires Shino's ability to wear so many heavy layers all the time – but another part is borne from the nerves of knowing that he is getting _married_. He watches alongside the Hokage, Shizune, Iruka, Shikamaru, Chōji, and Keiko as Inoichi accompanies Ino towards the dais he's standing on in the shrine, and the blonde finds himself rendered absolutely speechless.

Ino is resplendent in the traditional white kimono of a bride, and Naruto thinks that she's never been more beautiful than in this moment. All the blonde can do is keep his eyes on his bride as she steps up to stand across from him.

Tsunade officiates the wedding, walking them through all the traditional rituals of the ceremony until they share their first kiss as husband and wife. It's the happiest day in Naruto's 21 years of life, a title which has been replaced over and over ever since meeting Ino over a decade ago.

Somehow, he feels like this one will stay at the top for a long time.

The group leaves the shrine and head for Training Ground 11, which is outfitted for the wedding reception. Their friends and family are already there – consisting of the rest of the Konoha 11 and their dates, Sai, their teachers, Inoichi's teammates, and several members of the Yamanaka clan – and all of them applaud when Naruto and Ino enter hand-in-hand.

Both blondes are split apart by their guests, all of whom approach and offer various forms of congratulations and well-wishes for the future. After Sakura drags Sai off (as a preemptive measure, before the male says something inappropriate), Naruto finds himself approached by Neji, Tenten, Shino, and a woman he doesn't recognize. "Welcome to married life," Neji says, the corner of his mouth tilted up in a slight grin. "You're in for quite an adventure."

Tenten nudges him. "Hush, you. He's actually very happy for you, Naruto," she addresses the blonde, "he just doesn't know how to show it because the Hyūga don't believe in emotions."

"I can't even imagine why you married him then," Naruto jokes.

"I'm a sucker for stoicism, I suppose," Tenten banters good-naturedly. "Though there are days when dealing with certain aspects of the clan make me regret my decision."

"Clan politics, huh?" Neji shakes his head in a 'don't ask' motion, an expression of resigned exasperation twisting his features. He winks at Neji. "Someone wise told me that the Yamanaka clan isn't as strict as the Hyūga in their traditions, so perhaps I won't have as much issues to deal with."

"You are most likely correct," Shino interrupts, "but there might be other politics you will have to deal with. What am I referring to? You are the direct descendant of the Fourth Hokage and one of the few remaining Uzumaki in the world. It is possible for you to reestablish your own clan here in Konoha, which might raise issues with the Yamanaka clan."

"Shino," Naruto acknowledges, "good to see you. You're as well-versed in clan politics as usual," he continues wanly.

"I find it prudent to be knowledgeable in topics that are likely to affect me."

"I would expect no less. And it seems as if you'll have to draw on that information sooner rather than later," the blonde smirks, nodding at the girl next to Shino.

"Perhaps," Shino concedes, adjusting his glasses and inclining his head at his friend. "Kuri and I wish you the best of luck with your union." The girl also nods at Naruto, and then all four depart to mingle with the other guests, leaving Naruto to ruminate on how focused his friends are with clan politics and expectations.

Naruto turns around and comes face-to-face with Yamanaka Keiko. "Oh, Keiko-san. You surprised me."

"I'm so happy for you, Naruto-kun," Keiko smiles. "I always wondered who Ino would end up marrying, and I don't think I could've asked for a better son-in-law. You know that you can call me 'Mom' now, right?"

"It…might take some getting used to," he admits. "And…I'm very flattered you think so highly of me."

"Of course! So," she continues, features becoming suddenly sly, "when should I expect grandchildren?"

Naruto chokes on his spit. "I…don't think we've really discussed…_that_…yet."

"Well, maybe you should start thinking about it," Keiko suggests. She embraces him and kisses him on the cheek before leaving to rejoin the reception.

The blondes retire to their home hours later, both exhausted but happy. Ino is slipping out of her kimono when Naruto comes up from behind and wraps his arms around her waist. "Mm, hello wife," he murmurs into her neck, planting his lips there.

"Oh, hello husband," she purrs back, "or should I call you Yamanaka Naruto?"

"What, and give you the power in this relationship?" he teases. "I don't think so. I like the sound of Uzumaki Ino, personally."

"You would."

"Well, what about my dad's name?" he suggests diplomatically through kisses sprinkled over her neck and under her jaw.

"Namikaze Naruto…Namikaze Ino," she hums appreciatively. "Not bad…but we don't have to decide this right now, do we?"

"I suppose not." He hesitates slightly, then continues, "Your mom wanted to know about grandchildren, and…I've been told that there's expectations regarding a clan's line of succession, and –"

"Naruto?" Ino interrupts. "Don't worry about the details right now. Let's just enjoy the moment."

His smile is hidden in his wife's skin. "That's a good idea."

-l-l-l-

They've been married almost seven months when Ino wakes Naruto up early one morning with the news that she's pregnant. Given how late he arrived home from ANBU Headquarters the previous night, it takes him a minute to actually comprehend his wife's words. When they finally register, the blonde sits up so quickly that the covers fly off the bed. "Seriously?"

Ino nods. "Just confirmed it." She hesitates before continuing, "Are you…happy?"

He leaps out of the bed and grabs Ino around the waist, spinning her around. "Of course!" A sudden thought occurs to him, and he puts her down and looks her in the eyes. "Are you?"

The platinum blonde smiles at him a bit shyly. "Yeah…I think we're ready to become parents, don't you?"

"Mm-hm." There's a brief lapse in conversation as both blondes consider the ramifications of having a baby. "I'm going to quit ANBU," Naruto decides.

"What? Why?"

"Remember what happened the last time you got pregnant?"

"Naruto, that was just a fluke –"

"I know, I know," he surrenders, holding up his hands, "but…I'm worried. Things can…happen," he gesticulates, and it's clear he has no idea what exactly he should be worried about. "Besides, I've been in ANBU for almost three years now, _and_ you'll need someone to take over your Genin team while you're…being pregnant," the blonde finishes lamely.

"I'm not going to be helpless," she replies, a little defensively. "I can take care of my team."

"I'm not suggesting you can't," Naruto placates, "but I don't want you dealing with any undue stress. Plus, it'll be a good experience for me."

Ino considers her options. After becoming a Jōnin almost a year before, she decided not to continue on in the Torture and Interrogation Forces, finding herself ill-suited emotionally for the work. She decided to take on a team of Genin, becoming a mentor for young minds as Asuma was to her so long ago. As loathe as she is to leave them in the lurch, Ino knows that she'll eventually be put on maternity leave, and someone will have to take over her position. If Naruto wants to take over that job – and simultaneously remove himself from the dangers associated with being in ANBU (the idea of her baby being fatherless is far more likely with him in ANBU) – then perhaps that's the best option available. "Fine. But I still want to be there to supervise."

"Don't you trust me?"

She rolls her eyes. "Now you're just pouting."

"I'm just trying to lighten the mood."

Ino grins at him with the same foxy expression that always decorates his face. "I have a suggestion for _that_."

They're relaxing after their morning romp, Ino's head resting on Naruto's chest, when the male blonde brings up the subject of their clan affiliation. It's been a debated topic ever since their wedding, especially since Ino is the heiress to the Yamanaka clan, but there has been no resolution. Neither blonde allows the subject matter to ruin their marriage, but with the newfound knowledge that a baby will soon become a part of their lives, the question of surname suddenly becomes very important. "We should take your dad's name," Ino decides at length.

Naruto blinks and tilts his head slightly so he's speaking more to his wife than the ceiling. "Are you sure? I'm okay with becoming a Yama—"

"No," she interjects. The platinum blonde rolls over so that she's now on top of Naruto, holding herself up so that her body is hovering above his. Baby blue eyes meet crystal blue. "Listen to me…I've given this a lot of thought.

"There was never an official Namikaze clan in Konoha, but your dad made a name for himself and ended up becoming Hokage. When you were younger, you never had a clan either…and no matter how close you got to my family, you were never going to be able to become part of the Yamanaka clan. And even though you were always an Uzumaki, there will always be others in the world who have that name.

"But you're on the verge of becoming Hokage, just like your father did so many years before. And if we become the Namikazes, we'll have the opportunity to actually _start_ another clan here in Konoha. It'll be for just _our_ _family_," she emphasizes, "and I think _that_, more than anything, is what you've always wanted."

Naruto is silent for a long time, merely staring at his wife. Finally, he says, "What about the Yamanaka clan?"

Ino smiles down at him. "Well, I might not be able to take over, but the line of succession will still continue through me…to our children."

He raises an eyebrow. "As in, more than one?"

She settles back on her knees so she can drag one finger down his chest. "Play your cards right…but we're getting off track. My point is that our marriage forged a bond between the Yamanaka clan and us. That means that I can teach any of my clan's techniques to my children, and while this baby will become the heir to the Namikazes, any of the others can become the next-in-line for the Yamanaka clan. Dad will back me up on that."

"…You're sure you're okay with this?"

"Absolutely. Besides," she purrs, "I kinda like the idea of being the matriarchal founder of a clan."

"You're amazing, you know that?" He lifts his head and kisses her. "I love you."

"I know. I love you, too."

"So…who do we tell first?"

"Is that really what you want to talk about right now, with your sexy, beautiful wife naked in bed with you?"

"No," he grins, "I suppose it isn't."

-l-l-l-

Naruto sits with Neji in the courtyard of the Hyūga complex, watching Tenten throw a myriad of different weapons at a series of targets. "How are things?" Neji asks.

The blonde quirks an eyebrow at his stolid friend in amusement. "Shouldn't I be asking you that question? My wife's not the one who recently gave birth to twins."

"True," concedes the Hyūga, taking a sip of tea, "but Tenten is the one more affected than I. Ever since she was disallowed from performing missions, she has been a little…"

"Crazy?" Naruto offers.

"…I was going to say 'restless', but your word could be considered apt," smirks the older male. "However, I would not recommend saying that to her face."

Naruto shudders. "Never."

"Still," Neji continues, "it is quite a change to become a father. I've decided on a temporary leave of absence from ANBU to spend more time with the children. I would rather take some precautionary measures so as to not leave them fatherless." The words 'like I was' went unsaid.

A gurgle draws the attention of both males, and Neji reaches into the crib set up beside them and brings out his son. Naruto watches as Neji rocks the baby Hyūga, a slow smile spreading across the normally stoic man's face while he murmurs quiet words of comfort. The older male settles his son in his lap and then returns his attention to his friend. "And how is Ino doing?"

"She's…okay," the blonde hazards. "It's been a hell of an experience."

Neji nods in understanding. "I remember what it was like when Tenten was pregnant. Morning sickness, cravings, mood swings…" the Hyūga grimaces slightly. "You should be grateful that Ino doesn't have an endless arsenal of sharp projectiles at her disposal when you do something 'wrong'."

"Kunoichi," they mutter simultaneously, and then exchange wan grins. "Now that the due date's upon us, I'm really nervous about becoming a father," Naruto admits after a moment, blue eyes focused on the baby Hyūga playing with his father's hair.

"So was Neji," Tenten confides, seating herself beside her husband; their other child is nestled within the crook of her arm. "And I was afraid of being a mom. It's only natural. You'll adjust to it pretty quickly."

"You think so?" he asks hopefully.

"Of course!" She observes Naruto for a moment before holding out the baby she's cradling. "Here," she proffers, "take Koji." After several seconds of hesitance, accompanied by encouraging nods from the married couple, Naruto convinces himself to reach out and take the young Hyūga.

The blonde stares into the baby's pale eyes, and suddenly his anxiety about becoming a father falls away. His nerves revolving around not knowing how to act because he never had a father, his worry that he'll screw up taking care of his child, his fear that something will happen to the baby…everything just disappears. "I'm ready," he whispers to the child.

Naruto stares at the Hyūga for a moment longer before he realizes that he's supposed to be meeting Ino and her team for training. He stands and deposits the baby back in Tenten's arms. "Thanks, you guys."

"Anytime," Neji responds.

"Tell Ino we say 'hi'," Tenten adds.

"Sure thing," the blonde replies, and then he's bounding away for the training grounds.

He arrives to find Ino sitting in her usual spot against a tree, while her students – Hyūga Harumi, Aburame Shū, and Tsukino Tama – sit around her and listen to her lecture. His wife is already aware of his presence, and Naruto waits patiently until she's finished her lesson before taking over the physical aspect of the kids' training. Her students are meant to specialize in espionage, and Naruto is well aware that his wife is far better suited to teach such subject material than he is; it's probably the reason the team was assigned to her care.

They're done soon enough, and Naruto challenges the Genin to attack him; the kids' frustration at being stuck doing only D-rank missions so he can stay in the village for Ino's sake is reflected in their determination to strike him. He grins a little at their effort as they throw everything in their arsenal at him, expelling a burst of wind to disperse the kikai swarming at him.

Ino cries out a little just as he's escaping from one of Tama's illusions, and he immediately Body Flickers over to here. "Ino, what's wrong?"

"Baby's coming," she gasps. "I'm okay, just a little surprised."

Despite his initial panic, Naruto picks her up bridal style and turns to the Genin, who are all standing and staring at him. "Training's being cut short," he informs them. "Go home. I'll send you a message with our next meeting time."

They all nod, but he's already gone.

He arrives at the hospital, and after explaining the situation, a nurse takes Ino into a room to wait until she's ready to give birth. Naruto creates two clones – one for Tsunade, who has been their doctor throughout the whole pregnancy (probably because of her relationship with Naruto), and another for Ino's parents – and sends them off before following his wife down the hallway.

Naruto has too much nervous energy to sit down in the chair by the bed, so he paces in short steps beside it. Ino, watching, lets out an exasperated sigh. "Naruto, _relax_. Everything's fine."

He stops briefly and turns to look at her. "I just…I remember the last time we were here for…something like this."

There's a haunted look in his eyes, and Ino knows that he's thinking back to the surgery she underwent for the ectopic pregnancy. "Tsunade-sama's been checking everything every step of the way. She's already said that this'll be a perfectly normal birth."

"Things can go wrong –"

"Not in this case," Tsunade confirms, walking into the room. She's looking over a chart in her hands. "It'll still be awhile before Ino's ready to deliver, but everything looks good. Maybe you should wait outside, Naruto?" she suggests.

"No! No," he repeats, calmer, "I…I want to be here. Let me stay."

Ino groans as a contraction hits, and Naruto is immediately by her side. He helps her through it as Tsunade has taught him to do, and when it's over, the female blonde breathes, "He can stay…provided he doesn't start panicking again."

Naruto proves to be a boon the entire 17 hours of Ino's labor. By the end of it, the platinum blonde is sweaty and red-faced, but smiling. Tsunade places a bundle within her arms, and husband and wife look at their newborn son with adoration shining in their eyes. Naruto leans over and kisses Ino on the forehead. "The two most beautiful people I've ever seen," he whispers.

Ino releases a tired and short giggle. "I think I need a shower before I can claim that title."

"My grandson needs his name," Tsunade reminds them.

"Great-grandson," Naruto corrects cheekily, and only the situation prevents the Hokage from belting the blonde.

"Michio," Ino decides. "Namikaze Michio."

Tsunade looks from Naruto to Ino to their son before she marks the name down on her clipboard. "Welcome to the world, Namikaze Michio."

-l-l-l-

Ino stands in the crowd of people before the Hokage Tower with a two-year-old Michio holding her hand, most of the Konoha 11 surrounding them. The blonde boy tugs on her hand, causing Ino to look down into soft blue eyes set under Naruto's bright yellow hair. "Mommy, I can't see."

Large hands grab the boy's sides, and Michio squeals as he's placed on a shoulder. "Better?"

"Uh-huh," nods the boy. "Thanks, Chōji-oji-san!"

"Sure thing." The Akimichi nudges his former teammate. "So, how was he this morning?"

"Barely ate breakfast," Ino confides. "I don't think it quite hit him until today."

"That's understandable."

Michio hushes them. "Shh! Tsunade-baa-chan's gonna talk now!"

Ino grimaces slightly as Chōji chuckles beside her. "Hopefully he'll practice more respect while in office than he's shown Tsunade-sama," she whispers to her friend. "I'd hate for him to continue to pass down his bad habits to our kids."

"You and I both know that if Tsunade-sama really minded, she'd have put an end to it a long time ago," Chōji returns with a grin.

The platinum blonde nods her absent agreement, but her eyes are riveted to the top of the Hokage Tower, where Tsunade is passing along the Hokage's hat to Naruto. They're sharing the space with a squad of ANBU, and Ino doesn't find it coincidental that Mantis and Falcon are standing closest to the two blondes.

Naruto steps forward to address the crowd, the hat clutched in his hand. "I've wanted to be the Hokage since I was little," he begins. "Back then, I sought the title because I thought it would make people respect me." He snickers a little, as if someone's told a funny joke that only he gets. "I wasn't very smart when I was young…I didn't understand that you needed people's respect to become Hokage. And that was an uphill battle because I never did anything to earn it...just like people didn't do anything to make me respect them.

"But then I met someone who wanted to be my friend." His eyes search the gathering, and Ino finds him looking straight at her. "I've never told her this, but she earned my respect that day...the first person to do so.

"Thanks to her, I began to learn about things I'd never known before…what it was like to have friends, to have a family…to know love. Even though some of those lessons took a bit longer for me to learn, I eventually understood them, and each one taught me the responsibilities associated with being a good Hokage.

"And now, I can proudly stand before you and say that I'm ready to take up the mantle of Hokage…if you'll let me," he finishes, placing the hat upon his head. Thunderous applause and cheers greet his proclamation, and Naruto's mouth breaks into a wide grin.

Chōji leans over to Ino while he claps, making sure not to jar Michio from his shoulder. "From that speech, I wouldn't have believed he was nervous at all, would you?"

Ino shakes her head. Looking back, she can't quite believe things have progressed so far since their time as children. Becoming Naruto's friend, his wife…starting a family together…none of those possibilities ever even crossed her mind when she tried using that first _**Shintenshin**_ so many years ago.

The Namikaze matriarch waves at Naruto when his gaze finds her again, and her opposite hand goes to rub her swollen belly as their second child starts kicking. She's suddenly grateful for the impetuousness of her younger self, for the opportunities she's taken despite her initial hesitance…for Naruto crossing the line in the friendship she started to embrace the chance to be something more.

_I wouldn't have it any other way._

-l-l-l-

**Author's Note: **Well, that's it. Tried to cover most of the "big steps" in a relationship (and included some drama and angst because I'm sadistic like that), and even had to cut a scene depicting Naruto and Ino's double date with Shino and Hinata due to length (though it got mentioned). I know that I focused a bit on clan politics and everything, but I find it intriguing that, considering the nature of either a clan's secret techniques or kekkei genkai, it's really not brought up much (outside maybe the Hyūga). Anyway, think that came out okay.

Hope you guys enjoyed this story. Let me know what you thought of this final chapter in a review!


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